Help Provide Hygiene Education Among Homeless Urban Teenagers

Urban poor are largely understood as people living in overcrowded and dilapidated slums or in squatters built on pavements, along railway tracks, besides pipelines, under bridges, on ill-drained marshlands and any vacant land available to them, in the urban areas. They lack the basic civic amenities such as safe and adequate water supply, sewerage and sanitation and toilets facilities. It makes their life miserable and precarious in terms of health, safety and comfort. Due to their unhealthy site location and living and working in pollution-prone environment, it is easily perceived that it is the urban poor who are bearing the brunt of increasing urban environmental problems.

Homeless people have to live in the streets without a roof over their head any basic amenities. They are mainly tied up to the local market which provides them livelihood opportunity. They are mainly engaged in coolie work which is unskilled and semiskilled and mostly they are temporary and work on day to day basis. They are always in the threat of loosing their jobs moreover it will be difficult to find new jobs so they prefer to stay in the same place.  One of the major threats they face is not the hostile weather it is the threat from the police and the State Government authorities to evict them from the street.

The education status of the homeless children was glaring in a study “Revisiting the City Makers” conducted by ICWO and Action aid India.  Only 2.5 per cent of the children below 6 years are attending ICDS and school. In 6-14 years children only 25 per cent are going to school and in 14-18 years children only 19 per cent of them are studying. It clearly shows the majority ¾ of the children are denied of their education. It makes the vicious cycle of the poverty to continue for the next generation also.

Hence this vicious cycle of poverty need to be broken down by ensuring quality education for the homeless children and youth to improve their quality of life.

 

In the six months the beneficiaries will be trained on Health Education and Personality Development.

 

Total number of beneficiaries in the Health education and Personality Development training is 150 adolescent Girls and Boys.

 

Age group between 14-18 will be reached through the proposed Health education and Personality Development training.

 

 

The following topics will be covered in Health Education Training:

Positive Health Care,Good hygiene & cleanliness habits, Practical tips for Healthy & fun living, Balanced nutrition, Motivating Adolescent Girls and Boys for optimum performance (academic and co- curricular activities)     without pressure, Physical fitness & Yoga, Increased self esteem & managing peer pressure & stress, Gain skills in Sexual  Risk Reduction Techniques.

The Following topics will be covered in Personality Development Training:

Understand The Power Of Their Thoughts, Improve Confidence, Learn to be Assertive, Discover Self Appreciation, Practice Self Talk & Self Belief Techniques, Coping up Skill, Build Healthy Relationship with Parents and Friends, Increase concentration and Perform well in Education.