Background
Health is a constitutional right of the people in Bangladesh. Sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) is included in this right, but culture and traditions have made it a sensitive topic to discuss. There is a need to raise awareness about SRHR in schools, in order to ensure that young people have accurate and sufficient information to make informed decisions and lead healthy lives.

About the project
This project was created to enhance teachers’ knowledge on SRHR and provide them with a toolbox of pedagogical approaches. 16 teachers from eight selected schools were trained on how to facilitate classes with an open-minded, positive approach to issues of sexuality and gender. After the training, the teachers conducted SRHR sessions with pupils at their respective schools, and had regular support sessions with the project team in order to continuously reflect on how they could improve their teaching.

Results
By the end of the project, 16 teachers had completed the training. These teachers then conducted SRHR sessions with almost 1500 pupils, from grade 6 to 9. The teachers used the pedagogical tools they learned through their training to adapt the sessions to suit the different age groups. Through these sessions, the teachers were able to address many misconceptions regarding sexuality and gender and increase the students’ awareness on SRHR through a mixture of lectures, group work, games, storytelling and role play.

After the project was completed, the team decided to expand their model to train teachers in another sub-district of Rangamati.

Year: 2015