WINDHOEK, 1 OCT – Following reports of high teenage pregnancies, the Khomas Regional Executive Committee under NANSO has embarked on a project to donate care packages to teenage mothers as well as sanitary products to learners.
Donations – received by life skills teachers on behalf of the learners – were given to Immanuel Shifidi Secondary School and Mount View High School respectively. Moving forward, the regional leadership will be handing over more donations to other high schools in the region.
Regional Secretary, Eugenia Jantjies stated that the high number of recently reported teenage pregnancies were alarming and that adolescent pregnancy and parenthood are associated with social, health and financial costs to teen parents, families and communities at large.
“Therefore, the delivery of comprehensive sexuality education to adolescents and the community should be enforced and implemented through social programs that mainly target the youth who are mostly affected.”
Upon handing over the donations, the regional leadership together with the teachers further discussed mechanisms on how the increasing rate of teenage pregnancies can be reduced through intensive education on sexual abstinence, contraceptive techniques and the thorough understanding of the consequences of sexual activity.
“A teen birth can disrupt young peoples’ educational and career goals, affecting earning potential and future family finances.” She highlighted factors such as parental income and the extent of a girl’s education as key contributors toward teenage pregnancies.
Noting that education is a concern, she issued a clarion call toward schools.
“The schools can also do their part by providing the necessary information on preventing pregnancies and by encouraging teens to make informed, responsible choices when having sex,”
When asked, Rikurora Karamata, the Regional Secretary for finance expressed that the parents, schools and community should work collectively to curb the increasing number of teenage pregnancies in the region.
“The parents can strongly influence their children’s decisions by taking the time to be involved when the issue of sex arises”.
The regional leadership will be handing over more donations to schools during the course of next week in an effort to assist teen girls. – mrobert@namibiadailynew.info
