A day of spontaneous participation of girls for celebrating achievements and pledge to march forward
The theme for International Day of the Girl Child of this year was GirlForce: Unscripted and unstoppable. Centre for Mass Education in Science (CMES) has celebrated this year’s IDGC keeping in mind this thematic focus by arranging different types of events.
CMES is implementing the Reaching the Unreached (RtU) project in twelve field units where they provide skills training in fashion garments, vermicompost, mobile phone servicing and LED solar light production to the hard to reach and poor girls and women of rural areas of Bangladesh. Through this training the women and girls acquire skills to produce, market and sell their products and become socially and economically empowered. Along with the skills training, they are also provided with life skills so that they can understand their rights and make their own decisions in life.
The celebration of different important days is an important component of implementing this project as these days remind us of and reinforce the vision that was crafted at the beginning of the project. On IDGC the power of the girls and women can be recognized and celebrated, and their achievements can be solidified and taken forward. The force of the girl in both changing the society and themselves can be unstoppable and eternally evolving. Their force can be unscripted, and this can take any form it would like to change the society and its normative gaze towards girls and women.
Keeping in mind all of these ideas CMES has celebrated this year’s IDGC by arranging a rally, roundtable discussions, football and volleyball competitions among the girls, a cross-country cycle race, a painting competition, a nutrition camp, story writing and telling competition, a medical camp, court yard meetings, human chains, legal awareness sessions, a procession against sexual violence and assault, an oath taking ceremony, and street theatre on child marriage, to showcase the success and achievements of the girls and women under CEFM and RtU project .
All the staff members from 12 field units and girls and women participated in all of the events with enthusiasm and spontaneity. They have also expressed their gratitude to COL for the support and cooperation provided to them so that they now have agency and can make changes for the improvement of their lives and communities.
Compiled from the field reports.
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