Odisha: Girls as peer leaders to ensure better citizen-connect under BTCD

Bhubaneswar: Smart city is not all about smart technologies, high-tech gadgets and world class infrastructure. To become smart in an inclusive society, we have to progress with all citizens in the society.

With this objective, a three-day training programme of thirty peer leaders (girls) from eight slums from Bhubaneswar Town Center District or Smart District started at CYSD conference hall yesterday.

Peer leaders or “Pragati Sathi’’ as they would be referred to in future, would be the change agents for the much sought after Socially Smart City Project. The main objective of this training is that girls will be the change agents in their communities.

The “Peer Leaders’’’ will conduct a series of meetings and transact learnings in the community and family-level to create awareness on gender-based discrimination, child marriage, menstrual management etc. This will ensure social changes, which, in long run would help to ensure healthy and smart society.

Rubin Das, an 18 year old peer leader from Shantipalli Basti quoted that “training through various activities is very interesting for me and I will give my best to sensitize the community and family as well”.

I never attended such training and now I am confident enough to sensitize my family as well the community” said Swarnaprava Patnaik, a-21-year old peer leader from Saheed Nagar Telugu Basti.

This training was organized by Bhubaneswar Smart City Limited and United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). Humara Bachpan Trust is the project implementing partner and has signed a MoU with BSCL in January 2017.

The main objective of this project is to develop a youth-centric and youth-led integrated social intervention model to support Citizen Connect Initiative and promote safety and security of girls and women in Bhubaneswar with specific focus on urban slums, through community partnerships.

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