In solidarity with the global community, North East Network (NEN) organised the One Billion Rising (OBR) campaign on 13th February, bringing together 120 young students at Sacred Heart Higher Secondary School in Chizami. This campaign highlights the all-pervasive presence of gender-based violence (GBV) in this world. According to WHO, 1 in 3 women experience intimate partner violence and/or non-partner sexual violence at least once in their lifetime. This alarming statistic equates to a population of 1 billion women and girls. In order to address this, women, youth and allies rise together against GBV, every February, fostering a new kind of consciousness that celebrates love and compassion. This year, OBR is being observed worldwide with the theme “Rise for Freedom: Be the New World.”
In Chizami, the activities for OBR included “Period Talks” to facilitate discussions related to menstrual health and hygiene. These conversations aimed to normalise periods and provide crucial information to youngsters. Additionally, an awareness session on Personal Safety Education took place, with body mapping activities to address topics such as “Safe Touch and Unsafe Touch.” A mobile library was also introduced during the campaign, recognising the importance of cultivating a habit of reading among the students. This initiative aimed to encourage young readers and foster among them a collective consciousness towards building a better future through the power of education and knowledge.
In this year’s campaign, NEN Nagaland aimed to provide a platform for students in Chizami to come together and raise dialogues about peace, compassion, kindness, connection, community, and care and to understand how to connect our freedom to someone else’s lack of freedom. Activities of the campaign were directed towards fostering a new generation of socially conscious individuals.
(Prior consent obtained for sharing children’s photographs)
