Reproductive Health Initiative for Adolescents (RHIA)

RHIA focuses on adolescents' empowerment through livelihood and life skills enhancement by inclusion of their parents and other community members who have influence in their decision-making. (Life skills include communication skills, self-awareness, decision-making skills, etc.) RHIA is employing capacity-building workshops, seminars, FM radio programmes, theatre, debates, walks, sporting events, etc. to disseminate ARH-related knowledge to a wide range of audiences.

Radio Programmes:

Radio is being used as a tool of choice to increase RHIA's reach in response to the assessment of adolescents and others who evaluated the pilot phase of RHIA (in 2007). The programmes serve two main purposes: to improve access of adolescents to knowledge on how to deal with ARH issues and to build greater acceptance of the issues by government officials and the general public. A total of 10 radio programmes have been planned to be produced during the project.

The programmes, which feature both discussion and question-and-answer formats, provide adolescents with the opportunity to have their say regarding their rights as articulated in the (United Nations) UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). (Article 13 of the Convention reads, "The child has the right to express his or her views, obtain information, make ideas or information known, regardless of frontiers.") Other participants of the radio programmes include government officials, local community elders, teachers, and parents. The programmes are designed to bridge communication gaps between adolescents and adults, as well as to create linkages amongst the government, public, and civil society organisations.

The programmes are broadcast on FM 88, which is the only local FM channel in the district Chakwal. The representatives of local communities, adolescents, the government, SACHET-Pakistan, and Plan Pakistan are participating. For example, the first programme (December 1 2008 - World AIDS Day) featured Plan Pakistan's Health Officer and representatives of SACHET Pakistan introducing the project and seeking to raise awareness about HIV and AIDS. The second programme explored public-private partnerships, and opportunities for collaboration with adolescents. Other topics to be addressed include: hepatitis, health and hygiene, challenges and potential of adolescence, children's and women's rights, early marriages, dowry, etc. Special programmes will be aired to mark international days such as International Women's Day (IWD), Youth Day, Children's Day, and World AIDS Day.

Youth, Reproductive Health, HIV/AIDS. Rights.

According to SACHET, one-third of the world's population is under the age of 18, yet children's opinions and circumstances are rarely reflected accurately in the media. In fact, SACHET claims, children and children's issues are often exploited for political gain or contain stereotyped descriptions of children and their situations. "Children don't even know that they have rights here," explained a 14-year-old girl during a health session in the community. "Children have the right to know. The radio campaign tells children good things and adults should start to listen to what they say."

In its other projects as well, SACHET has always focused on using media as a means of communicating messages. From documentary films and TV talk shows to radio programmes, SACHET's outputs seek to provide adolescents with high-quality information that is relevant to them and that promotes their rights. An example is Gender Watch, a 13-episode television programme which highlighted various aspects of gender inequalities in Pakistan. Another 13-episode TV series, Fight against Dowry (FAD), was aired on different TV channels and has been used as a training and advocacy tool by various development organisations.