Train 4600 Indian girls as peer health leaders

Dear Adolescent Health Champion,

We are thrilled to share that we have launched our flagship initiative, Girls Health Champions (GHC), in the Indian state of Jharkhand! We are currently rolling out GHC in 27 rural government schools across two districts and supporting 4,000+ adolescent girls in areas such as mental health, menstrual hygiene, puberty, gender, and nutrition & anemia. 

This launch is a major milestone for us. First, we expanded our footprint into rural India, as we see tremendous scope for our youth-led health education model to support rural adolescent youth. The two launch districts have been classified by the Government of India as “Aspirational Districts,” meaning they lag behind in composite development indicators such as health & nutrition, education, agriculture & water, skill development, and infrastructure. 

Second, the 27 government-run schools we are working in are called “Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya” (KGBV) schools. KGBVs are all-female residential schools created by the Government of India to promote rural female education in districts with low female literacy. KGBVs cater to girls who come from historically marginalized communities recognized by the Indian government, including Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST), Other Backward Classes (OBC), and Below Poverty Line (BPL) families. 

Third, we have formed some exciting partnerships for the launch. We are collaborating with an Indian NGO, Ugam Education Foundation (UEF). UEF has significant operational expertise conducting programming in KGBV schools. Moreover, in July 2022, AHC and UEF signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Bokaro District Administration, State of Jharkhand, to strengthen the capacity of KGBVs in Bokaro District. We have worked closely with UEF, government officials, and key stakeholders (school students, alumni, teachers, and school leadership) to adapt our content and model for adolescent girls in rural Jharkhand. 

With that said, we are just getting started! Our goal next year is to scale GHC to 100 KGBV schools in Jharkhand and support 24,000+ adolescent girls. To do that, we need your support. Please mark your calendars for GivingTuesday (Nov 29) and be sure to generously donate! Together, we can spark a movement for adolescent health, led by KGBV students, and drive positive health, gender, and educational outcomes for rural adolescent girls across rural Jharkhand. 

With gratitude,

Dr. Priya Shankar & Ricky Sharma
Co-Founders, Adolescent Health Champions