Kanyashree - Plus

Kanyashree Plus — Programme Summary

This section explains Kanyashree Plus, a Cash Plus program that combines conditional cash transfers with public advocacy and social behaviour change to empower adolescent girls.

• Using Conditional Cash Transfers that incentivize education and discourage child marriage, Kanyashree Prakalpa aims at improving the status of adolescent girls from socio-economically disadvantaged families.

• Deeply aware that cash transfers alone are not enough to change societal norms and structural barriers that perpetuate child marriage and gender-based discrimination, Kanyashree’s cash transfers were accompanied by a Public Advocacy and Social Behavior Change Communication (SBCC) Strategy. That strategy has been scaled into the Cash Plus programme called Kanyashree Plus.

• Kanyashree Plus is a multidimensional programme that not only focuses on empowering adolescent girls, but also works on knowledge, skills and attitudes of government and community stakeholders for social transformation.

• Girls groups called Kanyashree Clubs have been formed in approximately 12,000 schools and 116,776 community hubs across the state, covering about 7.881 million adolescent girls. Peer leaders are trained in participatory methodologies and cascade training to other club members.

• Simultaneously, government outreach workers seek to influence parents, siblings, other youth groups, community influencers (especially religious leaders) and local governance to sustain a more equitable environment for adolescent girls.

• Kanyashree Plus provides age-appropriate SBCC activities, improved access to education, nutrition and reproductive health services, and opportunities for skilling and livelihoods for economic empowerment.

• Information is provided in adolescent-friendly modules (stories, games, audio-visual modules). Linkages to government services and knowledge of rights are emphasised; peer leaders are encouraged to participate in community affairs.