“Stop the Stigma 2.0” Workshop: A Collective Commitment to Adolescent Girls’ Dreams
📅 Date: 17 December 2025
📍 Venue: Banglabazar Fatema Khanam Girls’ Secondary School, Bhola Sadar, Bhola
🏢 Implementing Organizations: Sajida Foundation and Plan International
🤝 In Collaboration With: Plan International–supported project
✨ Program Background:
Under a UNICEF-supported project, Sajida Foundation and Plan International organized a workshop titled “Stop the Stigma 2.0: Empowering the Dreams of Menstruating Adolescent Girls in Bangladesh.” The main objective of this initiative was to raise awareness about menstrual health, social taboos, and the mental and social barriers faced by adolescent girls.
🎯 Objectives of the Workshop:
Through this workshop, special emphasis was placed on—
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Identifying existing social taboos surrounding menstruating adolescent girls.
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Determining actions needed to create a women- and adolescent-friendly environment.
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Enhancing the capacity of local volunteer organizations.
👥 Participating Organizations:
A total of eight local volunteer organizations from Bhola district participated in the workshop. Five representatives from each organization were present. They shared their practical field-level experiences and provided opinions on necessary actions for implementing effective future initiatives for adolescent girls.
🤝 Role of Volunteer Organizations:
Representatives from small and medium volunteer organizations actively participated and emphasized that social change is not the responsibility of adolescent girls alone; rather, families, teachers, religious leaders, public representatives, and institutions must collectively share this responsibility. By highlighting ground realities, they stressed the importance of strengthening this collective effort.
🌱 Message from Swadhin Jubo Unnayan Sangstha:
“Only a conscious and responsible organization can bring sustainable change in society. Everyone must come together in the fight to break taboos and realize the dreams of adolescent girls”—with this message, Swadhin Jubo Unnayan Sangstha expressed its position and commitment during the workshop.
✅ Significance of the Program:
This workshop created an effective platform for knowledge sharing, experience exchange, and coordination among local volunteer organizations. Participants expect that it will further pave the way for women’s empowerment, adolescent-friendly programs, and positive social change in the future.
