'HopeBox' to deliver Hope among Adolescent Orphan
Access to Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) related Knowledge is a major challenge among orphan adolescent girls. The Advancing Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (AdSEARCH) by iccddr,b is addressing the issue and working to increase access to SRH information and knowledge and improve practices among orphan adolescent girls.
On February 28, 2023, a sensitisation workshop was conducted at Shishu Paribar (girls) in Tejgaon, as part of the study, "HopeBox: A Contribution for the Orphan Adolescent Girls to Claim their Choices to Improve Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights Knowledge and Practices".
Mohammad Kamrul Islam Chowdhury, Director, Department of Social Service & Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Social Welfare, Bangladesh, was present at the event and highlighted the need for reproductive health-related programs for orphan girls in Bangladesh, particularly in raising awareness about sexual violence and harassment. Jharna Jahin, the Deputy Superintendent of Shishu Paribar (girls), also engaged with the HopeBox team and shared her own interventions to improve communication and create a safe space at the shelter home. Fariya Rahman, the Principal Investigator for the study, explained the reasoning behind the name "HopeBox,”. She stated,
“We wanted to deliver hope in a box, so that every resident can eventually grow bounds of hope for themselves”.
The sensitisation session promises to enrich the output of the study and help improve sexual and reproductive health and rights knowledge and practices among orphan adolescent girls.
