August saw us back in the schools in northeastern Thailand where we had spent time at in June when we kicked off the ‘Better Me For Girls’ project generously sponsored by OVOLPE Foundation. This time, the same 464 underprivileged high school girls were trained in matters related to the birds and bees.
Prior to the workshop, we found most didn’t know crucial facts and information on accessing help on safe pregnancy termination, contraception, prevention of sexually transmitted infections, and family planning. On the latter, these girls didn’t even know they could have a say in whether they want a baby. It’s not a surprise though, the knowledge gap.
By the end of our three-hour session, a majority of our trainees had gained insights into family planning, contraception, and related topics including financial and emotional readiness in starting a family. Almost all were very appreciative of our work, including their teachers as most of what we taught were not covered in the school textbooks.
We have seen time and again many of our adult students at our classes in Bangkok saddled with toxic relationships, babies born out of wedlock, and the accompanying vicious cycle of domestic violence, husbands going MIA, low self-esteem and poverty. We hope intervening early through providing tools and knowledge on family planning can give these high school girls a lever in steering the outcome of their lives in future. We’ll soon be back again to teach them financial planning, the third of our four-part training. Looking forward to it!
