Life Skills Education to End Teenage Pregnancy

This year teenage mother’s numbers soared across the country. We have witnessed cases where 9 girls in just one school are pregnant! Meanwhile government and non- governmental organizations are trying their best to salvage the situation. Nyamira County which is our work location is among the top five out of 47 counties in prevalent rates. This issue has challenged HFAW and we continue to engage with children, parents and teachers the much we can.

We have noted that many organizations working with children and even churches approach issues of sexual reproductive health insisting on abstinence and theological perspective only-- not engaging in sex before marriage. Obviously this is not working.

Young people need age appropriate, comprehensive sex education in order to prevent this problem. Parents, teachers and leaders need to come together and the accountability process requires to be improved.

Using Popular Education and Social Change Communication approaches, HFAW has been able to engage children with the age appropriate information about sex. In small group discussions, children are able to open up and ask questions to demystify issues related to sex that they are not able to talk with their parents, part of this due to our society conservative culture that finds it a taboo and shameful for adults to speak about sex with children. Information given to them by HFAW staff, HFAW Youth and Community Health and Human Rights Promoters (CHHRPs) also surpasses what the children’s peers might tell them in terms of content and knowledge. Our trainings of police on accountability processes and support needed to the victims is helpful but not nearly enough.

Here are a few quotes from the students who have accessed our information

“We have been advised as boys to ‘zip’ our trousers and girls to ‘cross’ their legs in matters concerning sex” said Origi a boy in grade 6 at Tindereti school

“I have learnt that engaging in sex at an early age can lead to pregnancy and early marriage, a factor that affects the girl child mostly. ” said Moraa, a school president at Riamanoti primary school.

“I now know that there are consequences for both the girl and the boy when they engage in sex at early age. One of them is pregnancy that sometimes leads girls to do unsafe abortion.” said Kemunto a grade 8 pupil at Gesibei primary school.

We would not be able to do this without your support. We invite you to make your donation through a gift card or buying a Christmas angel from our HFAW Handicrafts project collection to support this work.

Click http://www.hopefaw.org/product-category/artifacts/ to see the collection of angels and other African handicrafts. Please share this information with your friends and colleagues and explain to them why you care about this cause. Thank you