Khabarein
Home Last Updated:  Friday, 1 November, 2002 

Narnaul: Mr.Bertrand Piccard of Switzerland, the first man to circumnavigate the globe in a Hot Air Balloon and Miss Universe Lara Dutta visited the Ateli block of district Mahendragarh where a Rs .15 .61 crore Integrated Women's Empowerment and Development Project  with the financial assistance of United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) is under implementation.
Both Mr temovate.Piccard and Miss Lara Dutta visited the District Project Area on October 29 as goodwill Ambassadors of UNFPA and as passionate advocates for social feel about the project activities being undertaken for girls to get a first hand information about the project proscar.
During the visit, they interacted closely with adolescent boys and girls and Sanjeevinis discussing various issues concerning them such as life cycle approach, collective mobilisation of adolescents, girls education, problem of female foeticide, violence  against women and creating an enabling environment for strengthening women's empowerment.
Mr.Piccard, while addressing the adolescents, stressed the need for building partnerships based on mutual respect. Citing the example of his round the world trip in Hot Air Balloon using only the currents and winds of nature, he said, "Hot air Ballooning is for me a metaphor for life septilin. Just as a Hot Air Balloon is a prisoner of the currents, which propel it, people are captive to their problems and destiny tricor. But I believe strongly, that just like a balloon can change
altitude in order to find the currents which will make it change direction, men and women can raise themselves up and be responsible for the direction their lives take".
On their arrival to the project area, the members of the team were welcomed by Secretary, Women and Child
Development, Haryana, Mr.S.P.Sharma who informed that the Project had been under implementation in the
districts of Mahendragarh and Rewari since July 1994.
In the first phase, which was from July 1994 to December 1998, as many as 371 villages of Mahendragarh and 70 villages of Rewari were covered involving an expenditure of Rs.8.95 crore. In the second phase, from January 1999 to December 2000, all the remaining 347 villages of both the districts were covered.
During the occasion, the adolescents of the area presented a play and puppet show bringing out issues such as dowry, child marriage and domestic violence. A folk dance and ragni were also presented.
Mr.Piccard left Ateli with a good understanding of the activities taken up under the project and progress made in consequence. This, in turn, would help and facilitate his role as an advocate for health issues and will help him in mobilising the political will of key and influential people and organisations.