Empowering Adolescent Girls
and Young Mothers in Kuresoi South
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| Daisy Chelang'at talking to secondary school girls |
Reproductive health services are
an essential component of young women’s health and well-being. Adolescent girls at
rural areas of Kuresoi South are at higher risk of illness and death from
reproductive causes, including early pregnancy, unsafe abortion, HIV and other
sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Young girls are more vulnerable to
infection during intercourse and at greater risk of pregnancy-related
complications. Most adolescent girls are less informed about the risks of sexual
activity and how to prevent infection and pregnancy. Factors contributing to
the risk associated with sexual behavior include age at initiation of sex,
number of sexual partners, and condom and contraceptive use.
Early marriage, even though it is still illegal, is still very common especially in areas of remote Tinet Wards. And most early childbearing here takes place before and within the early marriage. Half of all women in Kenya are married by age 20, 26% are already mothers or pregnant for the first time at 18 (KNBS and ICF Macro, 2010).
TAP Organization implements leadership and empowerment programs for adolescent girls in and out of school through sexual reproductive health, leadership and economic empowerment trainings. In most families discussing sex related topics with children is still a taboo. As a result most children, especially girls, discover and learn about sex from their peers. The Sexual and Reproductive Health trainings we give them aim at empowering these girls with relevant information on their sexuality and on life skills so as to reduce their sexual vulnerability.
The life skills training includes decision-making, managing emotions, negotiation, and communication skills. The economic empowerment component focuses mostly on helping these girls improve their skills for saving, investing and eventually starting a business. By reducing girls’ dependency and vulnerability to transactional sex and giving them practical skills their transition from adolescence to adulthood will be made easier.
Out of school girls are very vulnerable because they are not getting any formal learning and lack the information to make informed decisions pertaining to their sexuality. These girls are also more vulnerable to early marriage, teen/unwanted pregnancies, sexual abuse and exploitation, trans-generational/transactional sex and gender based violence.
Teenage pregnancy is one of the leading causes of school drop-out among girls living in rural Kuresoi South Community. Those girls who marry and have children at a young age are unlikely to continue their education, thus narrowing their life options and career development. There are fewer economic opportunities for both the mother and her family and there may also be life-long consequences for the health and educational prospects of the children.
The birth rate among adolescents
in Kenya has declined over the past 20 years, but remains above 100 births per
1,000 women aged 15–19 (KNBS and ICF Macro, 2010). Pregnancy and delivery
complications are the most common cause of death among women aged 15–19 years
(2009 KDHS). Many sexually active young women face stigma at the health
clinics, disapproval in some social settings and disgrace in their families.
Lack of community involvement is seen to be the major barrier to adolescents’
access to both information and services.
Pregnancy-related school
drop-outs have become a matter of public concern throughout Kenya. In most
cases these school girls either have to resort to unsafe and illegal abortions,
or face school expulsion. Girls who drop out of school due to pregnancy usually
do not return to complete their education after childbirth, and find their
opportunities for socio-economic advancement are limited.
The government has
included family life education programs in school curriculum in an attempt to
educate adolescents about the consequences and responsibilities associated with
sexual activity. The high rates of school girl pregnancies in Kuresoi however
suggest that these programs still have shortcomings, and that educational
policies should attempt not only to reduce school girl pregnancies, but also to
assist pregnant school girls to complete their education.
Furthermore, research and
programs for young people tend to group the adolescent population into one
mass, without taking into account vital differences by age, gender, marital and
school-going status, or social context. Adolescent boys and girls both
experience intense biological and social changes between the ages of 10 to 19,
however the changes and needs experienced by a 12 year-old girl are very
different than an 18 year-old boy. The fact that these girls are often
subjected to violations of their physical and social being makes the need to
reach them with effective programs very significant.
Here especially in rural areas of Kuresoi, when it comes to schooling, being a girl is a disadvantage. Girls desire and have a right to education, but early marriage often denies them this right. Sometimes a family’s financial limitations determines whether a girl goes to school- families prefer to invest in the education of their sons as girls will typically get married at a young age.
It is sometimes difficult to
change religious beliefs and negative media influence which encourage early
sexual debut, however, the focus of the program includes changing negative
cultural perceptions towards Sexual and Reproductive Health issues by the
community; reducing social isolation through safe spaces for girls to meet;
providing new skills and information; reducing high rates of unwanted
pregnancies and guiding on misinformation on Sexual and Reproductive Health
issues
