Project Lifelong learning
The lifelong learning traject is for young people with a disability who are usually denied the opportunity to make decisions, because of preconceived ideas, myths and prejudices about their capabilities as well as sometimes their communication barriers. To empower these young people and to ensure a sustainable livelihood, we teach them to make decisions in their personal life through the training package ‘The Right to Decide’. It consists of 3 modules.
Module: My Way to Work
Young people with disabilities want to be involved in meaningful activities that are both useful and fun. They want a job, which gives them social status and a place in society. But they sometimes misinterpret or misunderstand the social behavior of others. To help young people improve their social skills, we offer the ‘My Way to Work’ training, which consists of general skills such as how to ask questions and criticize someone, but also how to dress and behave in the workplace and what your own strengths and weaknesses are.
Module: It’s my Body
Intimacy and sexuality are part of every person’s life. Yet there is still a big taboo on the subject, especially when it comes to people with learning difficulties. In our training ‘It’s my body’ we teach young people how they can see themselves and how to behave accordingly. We teach them about understanding their own body and that of someone of the opposite sex. We teach them which expressions of sexuality are appropriate, so that they are less likely to be victims of sexual violence, and how they can protect themselves. It’s about small amounts of information offered in a clear, correct and positive way by a person they know and trust.
Module: On my Own
Learning how to manage money is perhaps the most important responsibility of parents to teach their children. But because most parents in Bangladesh are barely able to manage their own money, they do not teach their children this important skill. And if children have learning difficulties, there is no point at all, many parents believe. Niketan offers young people money management training, which includes recognizing the value of money, creating and keeping a household ledger, opening a bank account, saving money and making financial plans for the future.
The way to work
The existing employment sector is commercial and competitive, and young people with disabilities are often not able to compete. In this situation it is imperative to initiate disability-friendly working environments where they get a chance to engage and create a win-win situation for themselves as well as for their employers. Because the difference between hopelessness and a dignified life is often just a question of opportunity. DRRA and Niketan sensitize companies and local shop owners about equal opportunities and creating a disability-friendly environment. We run a Carpentry Unit for training and employing young people with disabilities, in order to give them the skills of an (assistant) carpenter who can independently produce and repair carpentry items. Apart from the carpentry training, we have established a care farm, which consists of a small herd of cows, sheep, an orchid farm, a paddy field, and vegetable and fruit gardens
Are you interested in our SRHR education material in English or Bangla? Download the methodology It’s my body GIRLS or send us a mail for other requirements.
Also read how we support the youngsters in getting a job.
