Lodwar, 5th August 2024 (Public Communications and Media Relations)

In effort to reduce the escalating rates of pregnancy among school-going girls in Turkana, the Kenyan Chapter of the Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWEK) is supporting the county to empower boys and men to support vulnerable girls.

The strategy, executed through a FAWEK-led program popularly known as IMARISHA MSICHANA, also seeks to promote the re-entry of affected girls back to school, giving them a second chance of life.

The Recent data from the Kenya District Health Information System (KDHS) indicates that the prevalence of teenage pregnancy in Turkana is 19%, higher than the national average of 15%, calling for concerted efforts from sector players to save the girls from this unfortunate vulnerability.

Speaking after a two-day “Men’s Conference” in Turkana, County Coordinator of FAWEK, Alfred Juma, said that males engaged in critical roles that interact with the lives of girls would promote awareness of the dangers associated with early pregnancy and the need to reconnect affected girls with educational opportunities.

“When school boys, boda boda operators, school patrons, and community champions are thoroughly informed and meaningfully engaged, it becomes possible to protect the girls and improve school re-entry rates,” Juma said.

Noting that the program had succeeded in facilitating the re-entry of up to 195 girls who had dropped out of school due to teenage pregnancy, Juma lauded National and County Governments for creating an enabling environment for such success.

Head of the School Health Program, Rael Akoru, added that the county had mounted a serious awareness campaign to inform schools and the community about child health, education rights, and menstrual hygiene.

She told the Conference many girls were at risk of early pregnancy and dropping out of school due to a phenomenon called period shame, calling on the attendees to assist the girls during their menstrual periods.

“I am impressed that FAWEK has innovatively integrated access to menstrual health materials by capacity building and equipping girls with skills for manufacturing reusable sanitary pads,” Akoru stated.

School patron and attendee of the two-day conference, Mathew Esinyen, added that his eyes were now open to how retrogressive social norms fuelling gender imbalance, drug abuse, and HIV/AIDS further exacerbate the vulnerability of young girls to early pregnancy and eventual school dropout.

“It is true that teenage pregnancy has been a big challenge in our schools. It is also true that most of us were unaware of the roles that men could play in protecting the girls against this issue and related challenges such as drug abuse, HIV/AIDS, and gender imbalances,” Esinyen remarked.

Community champion from Kakuma, Aluoch Lutgard, lauded the approach jointly taken by the county and FAWEK, saying that men were at the centre of the challenges faced by school-going girls, hence the need for their involvement in finding solutions.

“For a girl to get pregnant, it means there is a man behind the scene. As such, involving men and boys in addressing the issue is likely to provide a lasting solution and means of addressing gender-based violence, sexual health rights, and early marriages,” Lutgard said.

During the Conference, participants were exposed to menstrual health hygiene, HIV/AIDS prevention and control, gender concerns, and pathways for assisting girls seeking school re-entry.