TURA: The month-long Youth Campaign under Rashtriya Kishore Swasthya Karyakram (RKSK) in South West Garo Hills organized by the District Health Society drew to a close with an impressive closing ceremony which also marked the celebration of 5 years of RKSK in Meghalaya at Ampati Mini Stadium on Thursday.
During the month-long campaign, various activities like free anaemia and dental screening and awareness programs on adolescent health, teen pregnancy, etc were conducted across the district besides singing and dancing competitions, football match and marathon race for the adolescent students and youths of the district.
The closing ceremony and celebration of 5 years of RKSK in Meghalaya was also marked by awareness talks on Mental Depression and Child Trafficking, presentation of songs and dances, prize distribution and rally by youths and adolescent students along the streets of Ampati.
Participating in the programme as the chief guest, Additional Deputy Commissioner, Ampati, S.C. Laloo said that out of the total population in India there are 243 million adolescents who are a future of the country and to nurture and realize the full potential of the adolescent population, the RKSK programme has been launched in the country, he added. Stressing on the importance of healthy body, mind and spirit among the adolescents to build a strong family, society and the country, he urged upon the parents, teachers, all health functionaries and stakeholders to jointly conduct community-based programmes and discussions on adolescent issues in the district and help them to be at par with their counterparts in the rest of the country. He also expressed hope that RKSK and the month-long campaign would leave an impact in the society and benefit the community as a whole.
Earlier, SDMO & District Nodal Officer for RKSK, Dr. C.R. Sangma in his keynote address highlighted on the objectives of RKSK which is to address the issues of adolescent children in the age group of 10 to 19 years. The objective is to promote healthy lifestyle, mental and emotional well-being through violence free living, improve nutritional status, prevention of substance abuse/misuse and teenage pregnancies through awareness on reproductive & sexual health and non-communicable diseases, among others. He also informed the gathering about the adolescent-friendly health clinics also called “Friends’ Corner” which have been established across the district and urged upon the adolescents to make full use of these health clinics and to participate in the programme for its successful implementation in the district to enable themselves to realize their full potential.
DPM, Ampati, Dr. Shirley Sangma, M&HO i/c Betasing PHC, Dr.Mikrak Marak and one of the teachers also addressed the adolescents on the occasion.