This report pertains to a baseline study of adolescent girls in select villages of 11 gram panchayats (GPs) of Bargarh cluster of Chitrakoot district, in the Bundelkhand region of Uttar Pradesh (UP). The girls and the villages are covered under a multidimensional development project initiated by Akhil Bhartiya Samaj Sewa Sansthan (ABSSS), with support from ChildFund India (CFI).
One of the project dimensions is improving the health and self-confidence of adolescent girls. This objective is sought to be achieved through an initiative called ARSH (adolescent reproductive sexual health), which covers girls who are ‘enrolled’ under the CFI project in the Bargarh cluster and are in life-stage 2 (LS-2) and LS-3.
The specific expected outcomes of ARSH are:
- Adolescent girls are confident on menstrual hygiene management (MHM) and sexual reproductive health (SRH) issues.
- Adolescent girls become change agents in a supportive environment for adoption of MHM, SRH and hygiene practices.
- Adolescent girls adopt use of sanitary napkins.
- Adolescent girls have improved SRH status.
A study was undertaken in December 2016-February 2017, to understand the baseline knowledge, perceptions, and practices of adolescent girls in relation to the above-mentioned outcomes. The present report is the output of this study.