Village: BERHABAD,  Block: JAMUA,  District: GIRIDIH, State: JHARKHAND Country: India,  23rd DECEMBER 2016 . 

Girls who have fought child marriage and are today going to school using a transporation facility provided  in the village of Berhabad, in Jamua block of Giridih.                                       Earlier school droupouts were frequent especially among girls due to long distances of the school premises which led to early marriages. Today the transport facility provided under the programme facilitates the girls to attend school and be safe. " Earlier we had to form groups and go to school, and return as boys and men would trouble us on the way." Says 17 years odl Mamta. 
Giridih district has one of the highest rates of child marriage in India where 6 out of 10 girls are married before 18 years. UNICEF Jharkhand in partnership with the Jago Foundation has launched a pilot programme to make 65 villages ‘child marriage free’ in the district.
The programme trains over 500 adolescent girls in the pilot villages. Around 70 adolescent boys and girls groups have been formed under the project. It includes empowerment of adolescents through formation of groups, engagement with religious and caste leaders, awareness generation in villages through folk media and street theatre, formation of village child protection committees, pledge by parents in villages, orientation of stakeholders like block development officers, anganwadi wokers, ASHA, school teachers, etc.
 
 UNICEF India/2017/Prashanth Vishwanathan

Prashanth Vishwanathan's coverage in Jharkhand district -
Giridih , Block - Jamua  against Child Marriage .  UNICEF Jharkhand in partnership with the Jago Foundation has launched a pilot programme to make 65 villages ‘child marriage free’ in the district.