Igniting the flame

At first, Srabonti Saha Adhara was a bit perplexed when she heard she had to attend a self-defence class at her school.

Curiosity won over hesitation as the ninth grader at Dashani Adarsha Secondary Girls' School of Bagerhat in Khulna went to the programme after finishing her classes on the school premises yesterday.

“I learnt how to protect myself from stalkers or assaulters,” she said. “They also taught me how to remain alert and confident while walking home alone or how to face any unexpected circumstances on roads.”

“They also taught us how to maintain hygiene during menstruation,” said the 14-year-old. The event lasted for around four hours.

Like Adhara, over a thousand schoolgirls of Satkhira, Jessore, Khulna and Bagerhat received counselling on hygiene, safe-defence, and topics like history of the Liberation War and travel adventures.

The counselling was provided by four students who are  travelling the country's 64 districts on scooters on a mission to empower girls. They reached Khulna on Monday.

Sakia Haque and Manoshi Saha Tuli, fourth-year students at Dhaka Medical College, Jannatul Ferdous, a master's student at Brahmanbaria Government College, and Asma Akhter, a master's student at the capital's Eden Mohila College, started their journey from Comilla on April 6.

They have also visited Narayanganj, Brahmanbaria and Narail, and held sessions in at least one school in every district.

Arpita Bashar, another ninth grader at the school, said, “They also taught us to share our feelings and issues with our mothers and sisters and not to shy away.”

Sakia Haque, one of the members of the counselling group, said, “Our mission is to make girls aware of physical and mental health. We want to boost their confidence.”

She said they have an online group named, “Travel Bangladesh” where they have around ten thousand members comprising females -- all dedicated to the cause.

“I teach the girls about our Liberation War and how prosperous the country is. Manoshi enlightens them on the abundance of natural beauty and shares our travel experience with them.” “Jannatul helps to create awareness among girls about child marriage. Asma, on the other hand, trains them how to be physically and emotionally strong.” She said they will start for the capital today.

Welcoming the initiative, Shirin Begum, headteacher of the school, said, “We should encourage our girls to become confident and believe in themselves.”

“Though the counselling was just for a day, these four have ignited the flames of empowerment in the girls,” she said.

Manoshi, a team member, said, “A confident girl believes in herself and can achieve anything she desires.”