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UNICEF
Adolescence is a critical period of development during which mental health challenges can have lasting impacts. In Bhutan, mental health concerns among children, adolescents, young people, and women are increasing, with anxiety and depression accounting for more than 55% of reported cases, followed by alcohol -related mental and behavioral disorders. In response, WHO and UNICEF launched the Helping Adolescents Thrive (HAT) Initiative, including evidence -based guidelines, an implementation toolkit, a teacher’ s Guide, and a Comic Book to promote adolescent mental health and socio -emotional learning. To pilot the initiative in Bhutan, UNICEF partnered with the Ministry of Education and Skills Development (MOESD) and the PEMA Secretariat in 2025, implementing the adapted HAT toolkit in 24 schools over six months through school counsellors in 12 schools and mentor -mentee programmes in the remaining 12 schools. The pilot implementation of the HAT initiative demonstrated positive outcomes in strengthening adolescents’ social -emotional skills, with participants showing improved emotional awareness and a greater willingness to seek support from peers, counsellors, and wellbeing focal persons. Teachers observed that students felt more comfortable discussing their challenges, while parents and caregivers reported being better equipped to understand and support their children after participating in the programme. A major factor contributing to the pilot’s success was the adaptation of the resources to the Bhutanese context, particularly the comic book Magnificent Meto and Friends , whose relatable characters and storylines resonated strongly with adolescents. Due to high demand, including among older adolescents aged 15 –19 years,
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| Field | How we know | State | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Publication date | Official document or portal page | Data quality: Source-backed | 100 |
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