Submitted by crinadmin on
Summary: In a social context where early marriages are causing poverty to grow, children were invited to attend a one-day workshop on adolescent education to learn about living like responsible citizens. Eighty tribal children from conservative families were taught about the negative impact of early marriages in Laitkyrhong village, East Khasi Hills Area Development Programme.
Topics ranged from changes that adolescents faces and how they affect their behaviour, to unwanted pregnancies, which has become a major problem. Facilitator Wanda Mylliemngap, a professional counsellor from the Centre for Adult and Continuing Education, said, “When teenagers are not aware, all kinds of problems occur.” In a village school, even though sex education is part of the health education curriculum, “teachers do not talk about the issues. Instead, they ask children to study it on their own. Parents also avoid talking about it,” said Wanda. To encourage interaction, young married girls and boys in the village also took part in the discussion. In a situation where talking about issues concerning sex is almost taboo, seminars like these are helping children to make the right choice. It is very common to see teenagers as young as fourteen getting married with and without their parents’ knowledge. “Overburdened with poverty, in the long run we see that these marriages weaken, resulting in divorces and broken families,” said World Vision Community Coordinator Streambless Manner. World Vision, through its anti-poverty activities, is working to assist self-help groups and create awareness. “We organised this in consultation with the community leaders. The children’s feedback is very encouraging,” added Streambless. World Vision’s staff members are able counsellors and encourage adolescents to seek help by sharing their problems with Bible teachers or trusted people in the community.