Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) India in partnership with Reckitt Benckiser (RB India) launched an adolescent-focused life skills programme in Northeast India, ‘The Birds and Bees Talk” (BBT).
ADRA India is an affiliate of the global humanitarian nonprofit organization ADRA, headquartered at Maryland in United States.
The life skills programme has been launched with support from the global conglomerate, Reckitt Benckiser.
The curriculum was launched for children of the age of 10-19 years.
ADRA India delivers relief and development assistance to individuals and communities across the nation – regardless of their ethnicity, political affiliation, gender, or religious association.
“By partnering with local communities, organizations, and governments, ADRA India is able to deliver culturally relevant programmes and build local capability for sustainable change,” said a press statement.
“This comprehensive growth-focused life skills curriculum will provide accurate, fact-based, and age-appropriate information that will help adolescents make informed choices,” it added.
Launching the programme, Weston Davis, the country director of ADRA India, said, “We are excited to introduce a one-of-its-kind, life skill training module for adolescent children with generous support and guidance from RB’s Dettol ‘Banega Swasth India’ campaign.”
The Northeast has been an area of focus for us for some years now and we are proud to be leading the change in seven states, Davis said.
“As the leader of a humanitarian organization in India, I am proud to share that through this initiative we have stayed true to our motto of justice, compassion, and love.
“Our efforts in India since 1992 have solely been to work towards transforming the lives of the people of India,” he added.
“We work independently, without any political or religious affiliations, with partners in civil society, government, and the private sector, who help us drive our narrative of development for all – irrespective of religion, caste, creed, or gender,” Davis said.
“This programme is a testament of a better and brighter future for the leaders of tomorrow. I and our complete ADRA team are humbled and honoured to be a part of this important project,” he further said.
The Birds and Bees Talk programme will be executed and implemented across three Northeastern states including Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur in both governments and recognized private schools to ensure the maximum reach and beneficiaries.
State governments, where this programme will be implemented, are proactively working toward ensuring that the benefits of this programme reach every child through targeted educational chapters and lessons, the statement said.
The design of the programme comprises 27 chapters in two levels allowing the schools to teach in a staggered format, spread over the year.
It is expected that the programme will help develop key skills like critical thinking, decision-making and analytics and informed choices amongst children.