This case study profiles Breakthrough, an Indian organisation that uses popular media and school-based curricula to shift gender norms among adolescents and young people.
Breakthrough works with adolescents and young people aged 11 to 25 to prevent violence against women and girls by transforming the gender norms and behaviours that allow it to continue. The organisation began in the early 2000s with the music video Mann ke Manjeere, which told the true story of a domestic violence survivor who became a truck driver. Its early work grew into public campaigns like Bell Bajao!, which called on men and boys to act as allies in preventing violence.
Over time, Breakthrough paired this media-driven approach with direct work in schools and communities. Its signature programme, Taaron ki Toli, is a gender-equity curriculum delivered twice a month, following a 'Jaano-Jaago-Jagao' (know, be aware, take action) approach that builds knowledge with younger adolescents before supporting older ones to take action in their communities.
At a systems level, Breakthrough's Gender Transformative Education Systems approach works with government school systems in Punjab and Odisha, embedding gender content into subjects like English and Social Studies and training teachers through a cascade model. The organisation also co-leads the India Coalition for Education for Gender Equality, bringing together over 32 civil society organisations and has a reach of over 50 million adolescents across India.
Evaluations of Taaron ki Toli have found improvements in girls' average age at marriage, more gender-equitable attitudes, and greater comfort discussing topics like menstruation, though changes among boys have been more limited in some contexts.
Key messages
- Breakthrough combines popular media campaigns with direct schools and community-based programming to shift gender norms among young people aged 11 to 25.
- Its Taaron ki Toli curriculum follows a staged approach, building awareness with younger adolescents before supporting older ones to take action and lead in their communities.
- Through its Gender Transformative Education Systems approach, Breakthrough partners with government school systems in Punjab and Odisha to embed gender content into mainstream subjects and teacher training.
- An independent evaluation in Uttar Pradesh found that girls' average age at marriage rose from around 16 to nearly 18 alongside more gender-equitable attitudes.
- Evaluation findings are mixed: while attitudes towards violence against women improved, gender-progressive attitudes among male respondents declined in one midline survey.
- Breakthrough co-leads the India Coalition for Education for Gender Equality, a network of over 32 organisations working across policy and practice.
- The organisation's global media campaign Bell Bajao! reached 230 million people and was later adopted by the UN Secretary-General.
