Introduction of the programme

The programme “Our lives, our health, our futures: empowering adolescent girls and young women in Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh to live with dignity and without violence” is a 5-year multi-partner programme that aims to empower girls and young women from ethnic groups in the CHT. This programme is supported and financed by the European Union. The Our lives, Our Health, Our Futures programme (hereafter ‘Our LHF’) is a joint initiative of Simavi and BNPS in close collaboration with 10 local partner organisations in Chittagong Hill Tracts.

The programme runs from January 2019 until December 2023 and will be implemented in three CHT districts. The forgotten conflict in CHT affects the lives of ethnic Jummas. Traditional patriarchal structures severely disadvantage women and girls, and restrict their bodily and sexual autonomy. Together with the protracted conflict, this increases the exposure of women and girls, mainly ethnic, to gender based violence (GBV) and sexual violence. Local civil society organisations (CSOs) are key stakeholders who have the role and responsibility to defend and promote girls and women’s rights.

In this context, strategic partners Simavi and BNPS have designed this programme to holistically support the empowerment of young women and adolescent girls from ethnic groups (main target group), and target key gatekeepers, service providers and local authorities in order to foster a supporting environment for the young women and girls. This will be done by providing financial and technical support to 10 local CSOs, who will implement the programme activities in three CHT Districts. The expected impact of the action is to enable and support young women and adolescent girls from ethnic groups in the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh to transition into adult womanhood with dignity, and bodily and sexual autonomy, without violence, coercion and/or discrimination.

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