Bihar goverment signed a memorandum of understanding ( MoU) with an international organisation EngenderHealth for important health related programmes for adolescent representative and sexual health (ARSH).

Bihar goverment today signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with an international organisation Engender Health for important health related programmes for Adolescent representative and sexual health (ARSH).

Adolescent Reproductive and Sexual Health (ARSH) programme is an important component under Reproductive and Child Health H (RCH H) program of National Rural Health Mission (NRHM).
The programme aims at improving the health of adolescents through creating awareness among adolescents on ARSH issues, generating demand for ARSH services and making quality services available and accessible to teenagers.
 The MOU was signed by Sanjay Kumar, Executive Director on behalf of Bihar state health society. EngenderHeath representative Hari Singh initialled the MOU on behalf of his organisation.
Adolescents form 24 per cent of the population of Bihar. National family health survey III reveals that 69 per cent of the girls marry before the legal age at marriage.
One in four girls aged 15-19 years are bearing child and 66.40 per cent adolescents are anaemic.
The three factors contribute to increased risk of maternal mortality among adolescents and infant mortality among infants born to teenage mothers. The survey also shows that 35.5 per cent adolescents have unmet needs for contraception.
Infant mortality among infants born to teenage mothers is 84 per thousand live births.
The government of Bihar realising the need for urgent actions to improve adolescent health has developed a comprehensive plan for the year 2012-13 focused on capacity building of service providers, increasing awareness about the adolescent health issues, and ensuring provision of quality adolescents friendly health services, Sanjay Kumar said.
It was expected that the partnership would help achieve the strengthening the training system, follow up, coaching of trained service provider to provide quality health service, improve quality of ARSH services, increase utilisation of ARSH services by adolescents and establishing a strong evidence based monitoring and evaluation system.

 About ARSH

 Being a pioneering educational institute in the state of Odisha, India, Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS) provides free education and residential facilities to 15,000 Tribal students, out of which 6000 are Tribal Adolescents. With the support of United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), KISS has been endeavouring to hone the abilities of its Adolescents through Life Skills Education (LSE) and Adolescent Reproductive Sexual Health (ARSH) in order to enable them to deal with the demands and challenges in their life effectively. The proposed intervention in KISS aims at building institutional capacity and networking with other potential institutions to overcome knowledge and skills deficit in the state for the promotion of LSE. Several interventions have been undertaken in KISS for the promotion of LSE among Tribal Adolescents as well as its replication in other institutes of the state.

Resource persons have been identified from among the faculty and teachers of KISS for promoting LSE and ARSH. Training and Exposure programs have been organized for their capacity building. Resource and communication materials on LSE and ARSH are developed and adopted with the guidance and approval of Ethical committee and Mentoring Group members of KISS. Course based curriculum has been developed on LSE and ARSH for the School Adolescents by incorporating appropriate subjects and lessons from the available lessons.

College students have been trained as peer educators who are promoting LSE and ARSH among the peer groups. For encouraging the Adolescents to internalize Life Skills, the peer educators are taking awareness sessions on healthy practices through role plays, puppet shows, Pala, Daskathia(local folk media), debate, slogan, competitions, mock assembly etc. Exposure visits to public utility places are also organized for the students to develop their skills in accessing the benefits of the system. Researches on LSE and ARSH issues have been initiated in the project by inviting supports from major Universities of Odisha.

The Project Management Unit has extended its support to different educational institutions and NGOs for undertaking LSE and ARSH interventions in their project areas. Steps have also been initiated for imparting training to the teachers of SC and ST residential schools to adopt similar initiatives at their institute level. Advocacy activities have also been undertaken for the integration of LSE in the formal education.

With the introduction of Life Skills Education in the institution the KISS Adolescents have been empowered with enhanced knowledge on ARSH and positive behavior is reflected in their practice.