400 Youths Combat Teen Pregnancy in Thailand

               Last October 2017, Chanchira participated in a training program to Combat Teen Pregnancy Program for parents with other four parents. After completed the course, it made them understand more of how to communicate with children about sex, which is neither a prohibited thing nor a dirty subject that needs to cover up. It is necessary that parents talk to their children in a nice way. They should not blame their children or use dirty words. It is a natural thing. Parents should teach children to protect themselves, avoid risk behaviors leading to a sexual intercourse as well as how to anticipate unsafe situations, which nowadays, we can see news about people with bad behaviors every day, especially rape and kill. Even people who love each other also kill each other. Therefore, it is necessary to talk to children to help them understand. There is no need to wait until they grow up. Actually, a sex subject can be discussed whenever they are ready or ask, and then you can tell them with simple explanation.

               "If adults only think that teaching how to prevent pregnancy is like encouraging them to have sex, we will see many more abortions or many old folks raising their grandchildren everywhere. It is better to educate children rather than letting them find their own ways. At least, we know that they are aware of their own paths. We cannot be with them all the time or forever. If our kids or children in the village run into the problem, they can manage to resolve by themselves. If they want to have sex, they should be warned of the consequences that follow. Whether it is pregnant, disease, education problems, if they are not ready, they can make the right decision. When the student leaders engage in the activity, we Parental network leaders also talk to the parents in order to ensure that everyone understand both sides of the issue. Some parents had some difficulties understanding that and did not want to hear about it, but we try to talk about it in service zone meetings. At least, when they have problems, they can easily talk to us. We do not want to see children leaving their schools from being pregnant. We do not want to see children without any parents. We do not want to see elderly people who should be resting being burdened with the task of raising babies.”

               “The parents have currently started to understand how to talk to their children about sex. Some parents have noticed that their children might have already had sexual intercourses, and consulted with us about it since they did not know what to do. We told them to talk with their children, tell their children to protect themselves, and to realize problems that might occur in the future. It is probably hard to stop them because the parents will not be with them all the time. Some students went to school in the morning, but they did not stay there. When the school finished, they might have taken a ride with their friends. They might have sex in a sudden if they are in out-of-sight areas.” Chanchira, a Parental Network Leader talked about the ideas behind conducting the Youths Combat Teen Pregnancy Program together with student leaders at Ueat Yai Pittaya School.

               After this training, the knowledge was shared to parents in service areas, communities making merits in temples, and students in schools in the morning and after schools. Some 200 families and about 300 children in 8 communities have learned from this program. There are 5 provinces participating in this program, which are Ubon Ratchathani, Buriram, Mukdahan, Loei and Phayao.

Links:

• CCF Website
• CCF Facebook Page

Ban Nonsawang School (Educational Opportunity Expansion Schools) is located in Ubon Ratchathani Province. It's one of eight schools which joined the fighting against teenage pregnancy project supported by CCF Ubon Ratchathani during 2015 - 2017. The school led by the School Director, Ms. Saisamorn, implemented the activities called "knowing sexuality wisely" in three dimensions, including building the capacity of student leaders, supporting the school teachers, and promoting the school to be the good practice for preventing and responding to the teenage pregnancy in schools. Ms. Saisamorn said that "Ban Nonsawang School joined the fighting against teenage pregnancy project since 2015. The school was supported by CCF Ubon Ratchathani. The project was able to promote an awareness of the teenage pregnancy in the school. In each year, there was at least one student left the school because they were pregnant or they got marriage. In order to prevent and respond to the problem, the school organized at least one or two trainings each year by an external trainer to students. In 2016, the school found that the result from the evaluation from CCF Ubon Ratchathani led the school to develop its own mechanism to prevent and respond the sexual problems for students and to ensure that the implementation would be more effective and sustainable. The project implementation touched three dimensions, including; Capacity Building for Student Leaders. The project built the capacity of student leaders so they could pass on sexual knowledge to other students in the school through a shadow play. The play divided a content based on an age of the audience and followed by a question and answer session which students could raise the questions about the play. The play also encouraged students to apply the knowledge in their daily life. The school successfully built three generations of student leaders. Some graduated students also returned to train the shadow play to the younger generation, making the taboo sexual issue to be fun for students' learning. Supporting the School Teachers. The in-charge teachers and all the teachers in the school joined the project activities by providing an advice to students during the activity designing and in other related issues. The school guidance system was established and allowed the teachers to visit and meet with students' parent as well as understand the living condition of each student. Once the students faced the problem, it's easier for the teachers to understand and quickly find the solution for them. Promoting the school. The project created a connection between the school, teachers, parent, community leaders and Sub-District Health Promoting Hospital. The collaboration was able to prevent and respond to the students' sexual problems, which were deemed to be cultural sensitive. The school also educated the students' parent. In each semester, the meeting will be held for the parent from each grade, emphases on the students' behaviors and the role of parent to support the students to study and be responsible as well as advise the parent to observe their behaviors and how to communicate the sexual issue with their children, especially from the opposite sex. Ms. Saisamorn said that "Since the school implemented the sexual education activity by engaging the school and the community, it allowed students and parents to understand a sexual wellbeing and how to communicate about the sexual problem within the family. During the past two years, the school did not find any case of teenage pregnancy, making it to believe that the solution is on the right track and starts to have a hope that children and teenagers in the community will be protected and will have a better future." The journey of knowing sexuality wisely project of Ban Nonsawang School in Ubon Ratchathani Province is one of the approaches to support the school to effectively and sustainably prevent and respond to the teenage pregnancy. CCF would like to thank for all the donors for the support and allow CCF to mobilize the project sustainably. For more information of the project, please CCF's website.

Links:

• http://www.ccfthai.or.th