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Name of the project: “Lifting Healthy, Empowered and Protected Girls and Women in Cox’s Bazar” Programme Area:
Duration: June 2022 to August 2024 Funded by: Global Affairs Canada (GAC) Supported by: Plan International Bangladesh Implementation area of PHD: Seven Unions (i.e. Khuruskul, Jhilonga, Chowfoldondi, Eidgaon, PM Khali, Jalalabad, and Vharuakhali) of Cox’s Bazar Sadar and two unions of Teknaf (i.e. Teknaf Sadar and Sabrang) subdistrict under Cox’s Bazar District. Other Implementing Partners of the Project: Mukti Cox’s Bazar, Hope Foundation and SKUS Target audience: LEAP will directly reach total 97,773 people, where 60,578 Adolescents Girls and Young Women (AGYW) age between 10-24 Years and 37,196 Adolescent Boys and Young Men age between 10-24 years old. The project will also indirectly reach total 1,02,591 people including 53,861 females. |
Cox’s Bazar district is lagging the national average for development indicators, with 32.7% of people living below the poverty line and a literacy rate of 39.8% in 2019. The population of Cox’s Bazaar is 2.82 million (2022). Women and girls in Cox’s Bazar are facing deteriorating sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) and protection. Families, especially women and girls in Cox’s Bazar, are exposed to threats from criminal groups, trafficking, violence, child abuse and neglect as well as child, early and forced marriage (CEFM). Incidences of CEFM have increased during the pandemic due to the disruption of education and economic activity as well as rising food prices. There are still gaps in the outreach of safe and quality gender-based violence (GBV) services and referral mechanisms. Mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) services are non-existent. Poor mental health can be associated with risky sexual behaviour and substance abuse, resulting in negative impacts on the SRHR of adolescent girls and young women, including heightened vulnerability to unintended pregnancy, unsafe abortion, sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and sexual and reproductive gender-based violence (SGBV). Harmful social, gender and patriarchal norms, attitudes and behaviours present in both host community and camp settings disempower women and girls. Unequal power relations, compounded by the impacts of COVID-19, confine women and girls with the burden of unpaid care work, increase their risk of intimate partner violence (IPV), hinder their access to and control over resources, exclude their participation in family and community decision-making and limit their mobility, which makes them vulnerable to GBV and restricts their SRHR. Use of Long-Acting Reversible Contraceptive (LARC) is 8.6% nationally, 6.2% in Chottagram division, and 5.39% in Rohingya camps. The contraceptive prevalence rate is low due to lack of widespread, deep rooted stigma, misconception and societal expectations of women and girls. Considering the local context and set key assumptions, the project has set an objective to advance the realization of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) of adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) in all their diversity in Cox's Bazar host communities and refugee camps. For achieving the ultimate outcome LEAP set following three interconnected pillars as intermediate outcomes which will cover the ‘Demand’, ‘Supply’ and ‘Accountability’. Firstly, the project will improve individual and collective agency and resilience of adolescent girls and young women to exercise their SRHR and protection rights (1100). Secondly, health systems will be strengthened to provide GARI SRH, SGBV and MHPSS services to adolescents and young people, particularly girls and young women (1200). Finally, the project will work to enhance capacity of local stakeholders (WROs/GLOs and YLOs) to advocate for evidence-based and accountable GARI SRH and SGBV services and policies (1300). In partnership with three local implementing partners and one key technical partner, LEAP project will directly reach a 97,773 Adolescents Girls and Young Women (AGYW) age between 10-24 years and Adolescents Boys and Young Men (ABYM) age between 10-24 years while indirectly it will reach 102,591 adult men (25+) and women (25+ years) across the host and refugee communities which includes 2 unions each in Ukhiya and Teknaf, 7 unions each in Ramu and Cox’s Bazaar Sadar district and 3 camps in Ukhiya. A range of activities have been used to arrive at these figures that includes CHW monthly home visits, CoC sessions, parenting sessions, men’s club meetings and other community sensitisation activities. The project will reach a total of 2,792 intermediaries. Immediate outcomes of the project are; Outcome 1: Adolescent girls and young women are empowered with knowledge and skills to overcome social and structural barriers related to GE, SRHR, SGBV prevention and protection, MHPSS and autonomous decision-making capacities to make informed life choices Outcome 2: Adolescent girls and women empowered through increased social capital to overcome gender, cultural and intersectional barriers to SRHR mental health, and SGBV Outcome 3: Enhanced capacity of community and facility-based service providers and government decision makers to deliver gender and adolescent responsive integrated (GARI) SRH, SGBV and MHPSS services to adolescent girls and women Outcome 4: Improved availability of appropriately resourced facilities to provide GARI integrated SRH, SGBV and MHPSS services Outcome 5: Enhanced capacity of women rights organizations (WROs) and youth led organization (YLOs) to conduct evidence-based advocacy to improve SRHR, SGBV and mental health services Outcome 6: Enhanced accountability, decision making and participation in community-based structures Outcome 7: Communities in Cox’s Bazar benefit from strengthened ISCG coordination mechanisms dedicated to humanitarian/development nexus interventions, by leveraging the experience and perspective of international and national NGOs |