ICDS trains adolescent girls to empower them

Thousands of adolescent girls in the district are being given training in leadership skills and combating sexual abuse by the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), a Central Government-sponsored social welfare scheme.

The training is provided under various Central Government schemes such as Rajiv Gandhi Scheme for Empowerment of Adolescent Girls (RGSEAG) Sabla.

Counselling

D. Manimekalai, Project Officer of ICDS, told

The Hindu here on Monday that nearly 2,400 girls were given training in various aspects such as personality development, health, and nutrition besides diet counselling through doctors and dieticians.

Further, another 2,880 girls were given health and nutritional advice through ‘Kishori Diwas,’ a special health that was being celebrated once in three months.

Under the ‘Sakhi-Saheli’ initiative, Supervisors and Child Development Project Officers used plays to teach adolescent girls to deal various issues.

Guest lectures would also be held with doctors and other experts interacting with them.

Initiative

Under this initiative, three adolescent girls from each of the 1,697 anganwadi centres in the district, totalling 5,091 girls, were given a five-day training in health, nutrition, ‘good touch’ and ‘bad touch,’ personality changes, dealing with physiological changes besides stress, she said.

Separately, 540 girls were given life skills training in a five-day programme. These programmes deal with empathy, leadership qualities, personality development, aiding critical thinking, problem solving and communication skills

Further, Ms. Manimekalai said that a 30-day vocational training programme would commence in Coimbatore soon for adolescent girls.

Under this, training in use of computer (basic use such as PowerPoint, Ms Word, Internet, browsing and DTP), tailoring, beautician and fashion technology would be provided.

Reputed educational institutions would be roped in to provide the training.

Two batches of 30 girls each had already completed training in computers and fashion technology under this initiative at the Kumaraguru College of Technology here, she said.

Aim

“The aim of such initiatives is to empower the girls and help them attain self sufficiency. We also work to make them confident and fight against abuse,” she added.