As of March 8, we have responded to a cry for help from Kenya, from the area I visited last year, Transnzoia county. Many teenage girls, often from very poor households, find themselves pregnant. Their parents, busy with survival, leave them at their own devices. Often the girls know virtually nothing about reproduction. But when they get pregnant, the parents are usually very angry and take the girl out of school as punishment. As a result, her future is severely compromised.
A JamboMama! WhatsApp group led by the doctor in charge of a private clinic in Endebess has done a small study on their plight and is now going to help these girls specifically. SAHFA has set up a small support fund so that the girls are checked for infectious diseases and can give birth in a clinic, and referred to a hospital if necessary. That is the medical part.
The JamboMama! Msichana group will also help them go back to school, find a solution to breastfeed their child when they return to school, encourage the family to support the girl instead of rejecting her. Some financial support where needed can also be provided.
There are about seven girls pregnant any month, of which two may be ready to give birth. Depending on the type of delivery and her state of health, a girl can receive the necessary medical and practical help for an amount ranging from 75-200 Euro. We think it is a nice and satisfying program to contribute to.
Teenage pregnancies occur just as much in Tanzania. Girls are now legally entitled to reintegrate the classroom from three months after giving birth. In Tanzania schools can provide space to nurse her baby, as nowadays they often have a nurse and infirmary. Local employment opportunities around this new facility that can keep girls in school will be an added benefit. Of course, they will also receive information about contraception and in general the school youth will get comprehensive sexual education, from the biological facts to the moral side of consent and responsibility.
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