Strengthening Youth Friendly Health Services Through Community-Based Interventions in Rural India

Description What is done in the programme or project and why, what results are pursued, who benefits from the activities and who are involved in the implementation.

Young people in the age group 10-24 years constitute nearly one third of the Indian population. However, they remain marginalized in terms of access to health services, information on sexual and reproductive health and power to make informed decisions regarding their own wellbeing. This translates into poor health and development indicators.This project has the overall objective of improving young people's access to health information and services in the selected Indian districts (Gazipur and Varanasi rural districts in the state of Uttar Pradesh and Bangalore rural district in the state of Karnataka). The project aims to support the state and district governments in establishing health services for adolescents. The project also aims to support the local communities in promoting young people's health, with emphasis on gender equity and empowerment of marginalized youth.It is recognized that cultural and socio-economic barriers can prevent young people from seeking health services and that special youth friendly approaches can assist in overcoming these. Special Youth Clinics have been recently established in the intervention areas as the result of previous collaboration between PSR-Finland and MAMTA-HIMC. However, the current services have a limited ability to reach out to the village level, necessitating the development of new approaches.The activities of the proposed project comprise (1) provision of health information through schools and dedicated Youth Information Centers in the rural communities, (2) training of outreach workers, teachers and peer educators to address young people's health concerns, (3) raising awareness of village, district and state level stakeholders and (4) impact evaluation, monitoring and documentation.The services will be established within the existing public health infrastructure. Community-based activities aim to strengthen the capacity of current actors such as Panchyati Raj Institutions, Village Health and Sanitation Committees and schools. The approach is in line with Indian national policies such as the Adolescent Reproductive and Sexual Health Strategy.The main beneficiaries of the intervention are the young people, whose health is critical to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals 2, 4, 5 and 6. Other beneficiaries of the project are teachers, the other community members and functionaries of the public health system whose capacity to work with young people will be improved.