Advocacy

In the last few years, Doosra Dashak as a programme as well as the mission it embodies has drawn the attention of people far and wide. Personal efforts made by the chairman of the Board of Trustees of FED led to setting up of a Working Group on Adolescents for the 10th Five Year Plan (2002-2007). The recommendations of the Working Group validated the approach adopted in Doosra Dashak. Chairman of the Executive Committee of DD has extended the range of advocacy to international arena. He has seriously been heard by a number of UN personnel. It was not a coincidence that education and development of adolescents have begun to receive attention from a number of UN agencies. UNESCO made it a part of the six goals of Education for All; WHO and UNICEF, treating adolescence as persons in second cycle, give a special priority to this age group. The same is true of UNFPA, UNIFEM and UNAIDS. Although interest has been evinced by several NGOs in Doosra Dashak type of activities, enough work has not been done to bring them on a common platform and to make than prepare project proposals about education and development of adolescents.