Generation Breakthrough - Extension (BGD) SUMMARY 
The 'Generation Breakthrough' project started May 2013 and addresses linkages between Gender Based Violence (GBV) and Adolescence Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (ASRHR) and concentrates on the primary prevention of violence and abuse. lt focuses on adolescent boys and girls through education, campaigns, training and services. Plan lnternational Bangladesh manages and coordinates the partner NGO and provides technical assistance to the schools and madrasahs (educational institutions) for the implementation of GEMS (sexuality education materials) and ASRHR interventions. Besides this, the SRHR helpdesk, media campaigns and community mobilization are among the principal interventions of Plan lnternational Bangladesh. 2019 is going to be the last year of the project so Plan International Bangladesh will organize a sustainability planning meeting in every school and madrasah. SRHR materials will be provided to the institutes after conducting the end line survey. SRHR is a domain of social taboo in Bangladesh, especially for adolescents and young people. Sexuality, procreation and rights are not talked about at home or in school or only in terms of risks mainly affecting girls. Without adequate education on physical and mental changes during puberty, adolescents are left to their own devices to understand bodily facts or mental and emotional issues around friendships, relationships, desires, safe sex, sexuality, reproduction and HIV or other STIs. Many adolescents’ only source of information about sex is from pornographic material available through magazines, DVDs, TV, the internet or occasionally through friends and cousins: generally not information that promotes respectful, consensual, tender and pleasurable intimate relationships. As in any other country, adolescents in Bangladesh do experiment with sex and intimate relations during this phase of their life and without adequate information the risk of sexual violence, unwanted pregnancies, chances of attracting STIs and HIV are high.

With over one third of girls in Bangladesh – married or unmarried – experiencing a pregnancy before the age of 19, the chances of complications during delivery are considerable: maternal mortality remains very high in Bangladesh. In the absence of adequate information and RH services for unmarried adolescents, there is a great risk of unwanted pregnancies and subsequently often, unsafe abortions.

The UNFPA supported “Generation Breakthrough” project will address the issues of GBV, gender equity and adolescents’ SRHR and their linkages through educational and skills development programmes in schools, clubs and sporting programmes, as well as through public awareness campaigns.
From the very start of the project relevant government ministries, as well as civil society organisations will be involved in designing, facilitating, undertaking and supervising the different activities.       
The project Generation Breakthrough by Plan International Bangladesh is part of a bigger program funded by UNFPA In Bangladesh, children up to the age of 15 make up 34.8% of the total population; the percentage of the age category from 1-29 year, is as high as 61.4 , with the category of 10-19 year old (adolescents) at approximately 22% . Despite the significant reduction of fertility rate in recent years, due to the young age structure, Bangladesh population will continue to grow,
Because of traditional societal views, norms and values it is generally considered unnecessary, unwanted and inappropriate to provide any SRHR information and relationship advice to adolescents and young people prior to their marriage. An uneasy silence thus surrounds the issue of SRHR. SRHR information provided in schools and clubs, or partly covered through the existing curriculum, generally does not go beyond adequate nutrition, minimum age of marriage, dowry, menstrual hygiene, or (often incomplete) information about HIV transmission. As a result many relevant practical issues related to sexual and reproductive health and safety, eg condom usage and demonstration, are not covered in such education and training sessions. Many people, opposing SRHR education for adolescents fear that such education actually promotes ‘unwanted’ sexual activities by adolescents and youth: ‘it would only entice youngsters and lead to promiscuity’. Yet many youngsters, also in Bangladesh, experiment and do have sex and want to have access to information as well as condoms. Internationally, evidence  has shown that adequate information and comprehensive education of sex and sexuality (including other forms of pleasure) generally delays sexual (intercourse) debut and stimulates safe-sex practices and thereby actually reduces the related social and health risks. When it comes to SRH services, Bangladesh presently has no formal system to provide the necessary services and contraceptives to unmarried adolescents. Adolescent boys and girls aged 10-19 (as per the WHO definition) in the Patuakhali and Barguna districts, Dhaka city and Barisal town are the primary target group of this project. To meet the diverse gender and ASRHR needs of different age groups, the primary target population is divided into two sub-age groups of 10-14 years and 15-19 years to allow for age-appropriate approaches and content. In the previous phase 2014-2017, the project was working in 300 schools, 50 Madrasahs, and 150 clubs in the implementing areas.  In the last phase, the project will not work with community-based clubs anymore. The project will continue training teachers on ASRHR education at the targeted schools to include 50.000 students in ASRHR education. Other actors such as youth over 19 years community leaders, and parents are targeted through project activities as part of a strategy to create an enabling environment for change among the target group and ensure their engagement in the project. 
Champions of Change method is added in Cox Bazar area specifically to target the refugee and host communities in that area on ASRHR information. The project is the last phase of a longer term program in which Plan Bangladesh is technical partner regarding ASRHR education. The project is part of a bigger program funded through UNFPA and other key stakeholders including the Ministries of Education and of Health are program partners as well.  The ASRHR education materials developed through Plan Bangladesh and its partners are nominated to be part of the national curriculum of secondary schools  in Bangladesh.