Preventing teenage pregnancy one talk at a time
Attaining self awareness and confidence is an experience which many children in informal settlements are deprived of. Unfortunately, this occurs despite their belonging in a family and the greater community.
One of the causes to this is the attitudes they are exposed to, which either make or break them. In the case of most informal settlements like in Mukuru, the latter usually takes the spotlight. This was magnified during a session that was held on 27 January 2021 at the Ruben Centre, where a total of 37 young girls from Grade 5 of the AEF Ruben School, were guided by Martha Mung’ure, a Gender Activist at the centre.
The session served as a warm up to a teenage pregnancy reduction programme - an evidence based and evidence informed project which aims at bringing together teens[10-19years], parents and the community at large to create a safe space for them to be involved directly in the project. targeting . During the session, the young girls were discovered to be lacking a basic knowledge of their sex / gender.
Martha Mung'ure, a Gender Activist engages the grade 5 pupils in the teenage pregnancy session. Photo: Stephen Tengo.
Hence the intervention of the Gender Activist, where matters concerning knowledge of self was highlighted alongside aspects vital to their gender such as self respect, emotional and physical self care. For instance, the young girls were taught about their reproductive anatomy, which helped them know the difference between a boy and a girl.
In addition, a discussion on measures they should take concerning their bodies when they are uncomfortable occurred in that open space. As this effort continues, the Ruben Centre encourages cohesion and the shared values of unity, respect and effort in bringing awareness about the teen pregnancy pandemic.
Furthermore, this effort is only achievable with the selfless involvement of more activists, well wishers, donors, social / health workers and other humanitarian actors.
Written by Martha Mung’ure and Stephen Tengo.