Understanding the empowerment of adolescent girls with arsh initiatives

28/10/25

Inspiring Stories

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From Awareness to Empowerment: The Role of ARSH in Supporting Adolescent Girls

Adolescence, a stage where dreams take flight and identities begin to form, is a critical phase in the life of every child, especially for girls. It is that one time when every child stretches their wings and takes off directly towards a life they aim to live. It is also the phase where their bodies change and reproductive health becomes a part of their lives, where things take turns. Therefore, awareness is the key to opening the doors to a simpler and hurdle-free journey for them.

Bal Raksha Bharat (also known as Save the Children India) is one of the torchbearers for adolescent girls’ empowerment. We believe educating them on this is one of the most effective ways to create long-term, sustainable change in communities. The most transformative way to approach this is taking place is through the ARSH programme. In this blog, we can learn all we need to know about this programme and how it helps young souls!

ARSH Programme: What is it and Where Does it Apply?

The ARSH full form is Adolescent Reproductive and Sexual Health. It was launched under the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) to take care of the unique health needs of adolescents aged between 10 and 19 years who live in rural areas. Let us be honest: people who live in urban parts of the country have a completely different growing experience compared to those living in rural areas. Therefore, this programme allows rural citizens not to be excluded from the privilege of this understanding. 

Now, the main question is: “What is the ARSH programme truly about?” 

So, the thing is that the Government of India started this initiative in 2005 to ensure that young girls and boys, especially those in vulnerable settings, have access to accurate health information. ARSH was introduced to ensure they receive the right counselling and services related to sexual and reproductive health.. Bal Raksha Bharat, working in alignment with government policies, actively supports and complements these efforts.

Why Focusing on Adolescent Girls Is Essential?

For adolescent girls living in a rural setting, the journey to adulthood is often filled with challenges. These challenges include:

• Lack of access to education
• Poor menstrual hygiene
• Gender-based bias
• Early marriage and childbearing
• Limited awareness of personal rights and health

The ARSH programme acknowledges these hurdles. It offers targeted interventions to help girls overcome them. At Bal Raksha Bharat, we amplify these efforts by engaging with local communities, schools, and healthcare providers to ensure that adolescent girls are heard, understood, and supported.

Key Features of the ARSH Programme

The following table highlights the core features of the ARSH initiative and how they contribute to the empowerment of adolescent girls:

Read Also: Understand About Girls Problems & Challenges Faced by Women

Real-Life Impact: A Story from the Field

In one of our project areas in Bihar, a young girl named Meera (name changed) found her voice in what once felt like silence. She walked into an Adolescent-Friendly Health Clinic under the ARSH programme—a space that soon became her shelter from the storm. In the beginning, Meera was like a bud hesitant to bloom, weighed down by confusion about her changing body and the quiet anxiety of growing up. With patient guidance from trained health workers and the comforting presence of peer educators, she slowly began to open up. She found not only the medical care she needed but also the emotional support that helped her blossom.

Today, Meera stands tall as a peer educator—a lighthouse for other adolescent girls navigating their own storms. Her journey is just one of thousands across India, each a quiet revolution, a story of courage, change, and the unstoppable strength of hope.

The Role of Education in ARSH

Education is now mandatory for all and has become increasingly accessible, even in rural areas. Where many would not individually reach out to learn about reproductive and sexual health due to the associated stigma, adding it to the curriculum within schools can be an effective way to implement this. Bal Raksha Bharat also leads several campaigns to promote open conversations about puberty, health, and rights in schools.

Teachers who are trained through ARSH modules become facilitators of change. They not only provide relevant information by dispelling myths but also encourage girls to make informed choices during their puberty. In turn, girls feel more confident and take charge of their own health by asking questions that bother them. 

Aligning with Government Policies

Bal Raksha Bharat works in alignment with several national programmes; these include the web-based interactive and dynamic platform of the RKSK (Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram), which encompasses ARSH. Our role here involves:

• Supporting community mobilisation and awareness campaigns
• Training community health workers, educators, and peer leaders
• Monitoring health centres to ensure adolescent-friendliness
• Encouraging not only the girls but also their families to participate in their child’s well-being journey

Challenges that Still Exist

While there has been quite a lot of progress, we still come across several challenges that often hinder our true potential and complete execution of ARSH. These are:

• Cultural taboos around reproductive health
• Shortage of trained counsellors and peer educators
• Gaps in service delivery, especially in remote areas
• Hesitation among girls to speak up or seek help

Our Way Forward

Empowering adolescent girls requires patience and consistency, as it is not just a one-time effort. We have taken several measures to implement the ARSH programme. We are:

• Increasing awareness not only amongst adolescents but also their families
• Providing more adolescent-friendly spaces to young girls
• Scaling peer education networks
• Addressing mental health with the same importance as physical health

Conclusion

The empowerment of adolescent girls through ARSH is not just about health—it is about dignity, opportunity, and future possibilities. Bal Raksha Bharat, a child protection NGO, is proud to be part of this journey, ensuring that every girl, regardless of where she is born, has the knowledge and tools to shape her own life. Together, let us ensure that every adolescent girl in India has a voice, a choice, and a future full of hope. You too can support this mission when you donate online and help transform lives.

Anurag Sahani