Across East Africa, the majority of young adolescents are living
without choice. With little or no access to modern contraceptives and
family planning education, they lack the ability to choose when to
become pregnant and even how many children to have. This lack of choice
can have devastating consequences for their future life.
Consider Maureen’s story:
Maureen
is a young girl aged 12 living in Uganda. Naturally she doesn’t talk
about sex with her parents. As in many other cultures, sex is strictly
taboo, which wouldn’t be so bad if it wasn’t for the high incidence of
teenage pregnancies, infant and maternal death rates, and rise in HIV
infections that plague her community. One day her period starts. Too
ashamed to return to school, she drops out and begins hanging around
with a local group from her neighbourhood. Without access to
contraceptives, she soon becomes pregnant. Due to her young age,
complications arise during delivery and although her baby survives, she
develops an obstetric fistula causing her to involuntary leak urine and
faeces. Shunned from the community, she remains indoors until her family
eventually tire of her and she is cast out to fend for herself.
Fortunately, due to the intervention of global initiatives and the work of organisations like DSW
(Deutsche Stiftung Weltbevoelkerung) in Eastern Africa, this situation
is gradually changing for the better. More and more young people are
making better and more informed decisions and choices – in other words,
they are taking control over their lives.
Let’s consider Maureen’s story after DSW’s involvement in her district:
Maureen is a young girl aged 12 living in Uganda. Due to the intervention of DSW’s “Young Adolescents Project”
in the region which aimed at removing barriers faced by young
adolescents (10 to 14 years) in accessing age-appropriate sexual and
reproductive health and rights information; her parents, teachers, and
community leaders maintain an open and honest atmosphere when it comes
to sex education, especially given the high incidence of teenage
pregnancies, infant and maternal death rates, and HIV infections that
once plagued their community. Maureen is introduced to the topic at a
young age, has all her questions answered, and knows how to avoid an
unintended pregnancy. She is prepared for her period and is not ashamed
when it starts. She remains in school and passes with good grades
enabling her to go to university. When she is ready, she decides how
many children she would like to have. Her future is bright and open.
Link: http://www.impatientoptimists.org/Posts/2013/08/Family-Planning-Its-Time-to-Empower-the-Next-Generation
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