Adolescents, women receive awareness on reproductive & sexual health in EKH

SHILLONG, Dec 16: The Rashtriya Kishore Swasthya Karyakram (RKSK), under the National Health Mission Meghalaya (NHM), in collaboration with Rangbihbih Dorbar Shnong, Unmute Impact, JHPIEGO, and Meghalaya Health Systems Strengthening Project (MHSSP), conducted an awareness programme on reproductive and sexual health for adolescents and women on Monday.
The initiative was aimed to educate participants, including women, adolescents and the broader community on vital topics such as reproductive and sexual health, adolescent pregnancy, family planning and life skills.
During the programme, East Khasi Hills District MCH Officer, Dr. EL Kharmutee, highlighted the importance of vaccinations, particularly for children under five years old.
She also emphasised the significance of hospital deliveries as a means to manage birth complications and urged the community to prioritise maternal care by utilising services at Community Health Centres (CHCs) and local hospitals.
Encouraging the use of ambulances and vehicles provided under the Chief Minister’s Safe Motherhood Scheme (CMSMS) to ensure timely access to care, Dr. Kharmutee advised against early marriages and urged the youths to adopt a healthy mindset regarding marriage age to prevent complications during childbirth.
She then also encouraged collaboration with Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) and Auxiliary Nurse Midwives (ANMs) to support families and enhance health services.
Meanwhile, Rangbihbih village headman, Augustine Marbaniang, expressed gratitude to the organisers for raising awareness on critical issues affecting women and children.
He urged parents to be proactive and the youths to remain attentive to the programme’s key messages.
As part of the programme, multiple sessions were held, aiming to raise awareness and promote understanding.
Assistant Director of the Good Governance Cell (MATI), Ivyreen Warjri, led the session on the POCSO Act. Another session focused on reproductive and sexual health, teenage pregnancy, family planning and domestic abuse.
A seminar titled ‘Good Touch and Bad Touch’, conducted by The Birds and Bees Talk, empowered adolescents to identify and respond to inappropriate behaviour. Additionally, the USAID-NISHTHA/Jhpiego team conducted the Life Planning game, known as ‘Lawei Baphyrnai’.
For adolescents and mothers, a short film on menstrual hygiene was screened by a team from the Ganesh Das Hospital.
This was followed by detailed discussions on menstruation basics, sanitary napkin usage and hygiene practices.
Children were also engaged through interactive activities that taught basic hygiene techniques and promoted healthy practices throughout the programme.