1. Adolescent Development Programme, BRAC Bangladesh
Presentation BY Rashida Parveen
Sector Specialist, BRAC

2. Presentation Outline:
BRAC an overview
Adolescent in Bangladesh: Basic Facts
Adolescent Development Program of BRAC
Achievements
Lesson learned
Future Plan

3. BRAC An Overview

4. BRAC has founded by
Mr.Fazle Hasan Abed in 1972
It’s outreach covers all
64 districts of the country
It has been called upon to assist a number of countries including Afghanistan and Sri Lanka.

5. Four core components:
Economic Development Program
Social Development Program
Education Program
Health Program

6. Adolescents in Bangladesh:
Basic Facts

7. Basic Facts:
 22% of the population of Bangladesh are adolescents, amongst which 13.8million are girls
63% of girls, in the age group of suffer from early marriage, compared to only 3.7% of boys in the same age group.
31% of these girls get pregnant within a year of marriage

8. Basic Facts: Con......
 Lack of girls mobility - Because of Reputation & Security
 Lack of A.Friendly Health Services/Lack of sensitivity among the service providers
 Lack of appropriate Knowledge on Sexuality and reproductive Health
In rural areas, there is very limited opportunity for paid employment, especially for girls

9. Adolescent Development Programme

10. An overview:
In 1992 BRAC started Reading Centres for rural adolescent girls.
The initial purpose was:
 to retain literacy,
 a safe place to socialize and
 to enhance girls’ participation.

11. Activities of the Reading Centers:
 Exchanging Books
 Reading Newspaper, Magazine
 Playing indoor games
 Performing Cultural Program

12. Evolution from Reading Centers to Adolescent Development Program:
In 1998 BRAC started working on specific issues through Adolescent Peer Organized Network (APON).
In 2000 the Adolescent Development Programme (ADP) was launched under BRAC Education Programme.

13. To create and sustain a supportive environment for adolescent girls’
Objectives of ADP:
 To empower adolescents, especially girls, to participate meaningfully in decisions that affect their lives and to become active agents of social change.
To create and sustain a supportive environment for adolescent girls’
 To reduce child marriage and dowry.

14. The main components are:
Adolescent Centres
 Issue based life skills course (*APON)
Livelihood training
Community Participation
* A - Adolescent
P - Peer
O - Organized
N - Network

15.  Reading Newspaper, Magazine  Playing indoor games
Adolescents center:
 Exchanging Books
 Reading Newspaper, Magazine
 Playing indoor games
Performing Cultural Program

16. 2. Issue based Life Skills Course (APON):
Objectives of the course:
To prepare them about aware issues related to
their lives and practice those in their day to day
life.
To enhance their capacity on different life skills.
To develop leadership skill of the adolescents.
To help the adolescents to practice their rights

17. 2. Issue based Life Skills Course: Con...
The course content includes:
Social, Family and Community Issues
Sexual and Reproductive Health Issues
(20 books and 1 peer
educator guide has been
developed for the course.)

18. 2. Issue based Life Skills Course: Con... Cross-cutting issues
Child Rights
Negotiation skills
Gender sensitive
Inclusiveness
Effective Communications

19. 3. Livelihood Training The livelihood training includes:
Poultry and livestock
Sewing and embroidery
Photography
Computer
Journalism etc.
This activities are helping to reduce early marriage from the intervention areas.

20. 4. Community Participation:
The activities includes:
Forum with mothers
Forum with fathers
Forum with community
leaders
There is a child marriage and dowry prevention committee, who are working to reduce the child marriage and dowry from their community.

21. Achievements:
There are 17 thousand of Adolescent Leaders under this project and most of them are continuing their education.
According to the Population Council Report, ( ) the marriage age has increased by 1-2 years in the intervention areas.

22. Achievements at a glance
Activities Beneficiaries
Adolescent Centres (8500) Girls
APON course for girls Girls
APON course for Boys Boys
Sewing and embroidery Girls
Photography Training Girls
Computer Training Girls
Journalism Girls
Poultry & livestock Girls

23. Lessons learnt:
Adolescents are capable of doing a lot more provided if they are given the opportunities
Active participation of Community Leaders and Religious Leaders are essential to prevent early marriage and dowry
Livelihood program, aside from economic independence , has been able to change the attitudes of their family and community towards adolescent girls.

24. Future Plan
Providing APON course to adolescent girls and boys together
Including married adolescents, indigenous group and adolescents with disability
New Initiatives will include practical program for the slum dweller and adolescent garment workers
Providing livelihood training and creating job opportunities through liaison with different employers

25. Anna Afroz is a cheerful, confident adolescent girl, who saved herself from early marriage with the help of APON course and ADP.

26. THANK YOU