From Preetam Brahma Choudhury
Kokrajhar: A three-day folklore training on non-communicable disease, maternal health & early marriage was organised by the North East Research and Social Work Networking (NERSWN) at its campus Gwjwn Dera in Kokrajhar to trained adolescent girls and boys (peer educators).
During the training sessions, the 23 children including 17 girls and 6 boys from remote villages under Kachugaon block in Gossaigaon subdivision of Kokrajhar district were trained on how to write skits and compose songs. They were informed about non-communicable diseases like hypertension and diabetes, maternal health & early marriage. Resource persons from Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram (RKSK) shared a talk with the participants about health. P Brahma Choudhury, member of Child Welfare Committee Kokrajhar spoke on Child Rights and Child marriage.
Says Narmada Goyary, Research Assistant, NERSWN, “the main objectives of the training programme is to encourage and mobilize the adolescent girls and boys to create awareness through the creative practices of their respective cultural traditions on the issues so that they, in turn, motivate and mobilize their peers and elders and to be able to create a ripple effect throughout the community of the messages transmitted by adolescents through folklore performances conducted at both formal and informal platforms.
“We are working with the tribal people, to improve the health condition of the tribal people in remote areas. We are training the young peer educators from the intervention areas on various subjects like non-communicable diseases like hypertension and diabetes, maternal health & early marriage (child marriage) and how to prevent these issues. The youth after training will carry out an awareness programme through skits using folklore to educate the public in the intervention areas, she said.
The youths express their happiness participating in the training programme. “I am happy that I came for this training. I have learnt so much about various issues related to health, child rights, and child marriage. Moreover we have learned to write skits, compose songs through which we will create awareness on the topics, said Panjoleka Narzary.
“The experience I learn during the training will help us in educating and creating awareness in our areas about the issues like maternal health, child marriage etc, said Nasima Rabha.
