Gender Equality Kenya Project #32060

Life Skills Education to End Teenage Pregnancy

by Hope Foundation for African Women (HFAW)

Project Report | Mar 22, 2022
HFAW Life Skills Advocacy.

By Edah Mokua | Project Manager

Gladys explaining how to report FGM cases

Dear Friend and Partner

Thanks to your critical support, on February 2, 2022, we provided life skills to girls in one primary and one secondary school in Nyamira County, Kenya. Nyatieno primary has a population of 273 with 47 percent being girls (127) and 54 percent being boys (138). However, there were more female teachers (5) against male teachers (3). Riosiago Secondary School has a population of 54, including 23 girls and 31 boys. Nyatieno primary has one pregnant girl while three others have just delivered. These are children having children which underscores the importance of our visit to these schools.

We embarked on providing the girls and boys life skills in line with our vision on various topics such as: root causes of FGM and why it must be prevented at all cost; skills to avoid early pregnancies such as when and where to report when men begin to sexually harass them; how to avoid dropping out of school due to pregnancies and household chores including speaking up and demanding to go back to school when an early pregnancy happens. Staff equipped girls with communication skills; decision making skills, problem solving skills and creative and critical thinking skills.

Through our interactions with the students it came out that it is not easy to overcome the challenges at their domestic environments such as high poverty levels, substance abuses in their homes and lack of access to information about their rights and parents responsibilities. HFAW advised them the best they could about their rights and encouraged them to keep their focus in school as one way of achieving their goals of defeating poverty. The student’s response to our training was well received going by the following feedback:

‘But I’m really grateful that you visited our school today and you have enlightened us about the life skills and the effects of the FGM. I will spread the message to my family and the church. My grandmother told me if I’m cut it reduces sexual desires that is why I accepted to undergo the process but now I will speak up so that my small sisters do not get cut’ said Moraa from Nyatieko primary.

‘Personally, I knew if I can’t undergo the process, I can’t fit in the society but as from today I have realized those are traditions our parents use to entice us to undergo the process,’

Belinda, from Riosiago secondary

Riosiago secondary school teacher also expressed her excitement saying “your visit here has been so important because our students have received you so well as opposed to when we teach them. They are so familiar to our teachers so they hardly pay any attention. We welcome you to come back sooner.’

Even though we had major challenges accessing these hard to reach schools because of poor roads network, we were grateful because of what we had been able to achieve. Your financial support helps us achieve more than we can ever put in words. Saving even one girl means a lot to these girls and HFAW team. Please send our link to your friends and family and explain to them why their donation will matter in empowering a girl in this patriarchal community.

With Gratitude,

Edah Mokua,

HFAW Team

Joyce emphasizing the importance of speaking up

Moraa expressing her gratitude.

Riosiago secondary teacher expressing gratitude.

Riosiago secondary students attentively listening

Riosiago secondary students, staff and HFAW

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Nov 23, 2021
Life-Skills Advocacy at Kegwanda, Chitago, and Nyanchonori to end teenage pregnancy

By Lancer Wao | Communications Officer

Lifeskills education at Kegwanda

Dear Friend and Partner

Greetings, I hope this update finds you great.

We have made commendable progress in life skills education to end teenage pregnancy in Nyamira because of your generous support. Since our last reporting period for this project, we have conducted advocacy outreaches in 3 schools: Chitago, Kegwanda, and Nyanchonori in Nyamira County, Kenya. Also, we have done a radio show in Radio Minto FM-Kenya Broadcasting Corporation.

The objective of the school outreach activities was to support self-advocacy among young girls. At the time, the mid-term break was just around the corner. It is the period where there are many cases of young girls being at risk of getting pregnant. There is limited parental guidance because parents and guardians are engaged at work, businesses, or farms. Therefore, with this activity, we reminded the young girls that their future is on their hands and the painful consequences of accepting to be swayed into engaging in sexual relationships.

I know you are asking yourself, how did we explain such a complex concept to young students?
HFAW is privileged to be having community health and human rights, volunteers. The people-majority of them, being grassroots women, deeply understand their community's issues, including teenage pregnancy and female genital mutilation. Therefore, they use the popular education model and social change communication to initiate conversations on the impact of teenage pregnancy on girls and the whole community using friendly and familiar language. Attached in this report is a link showing the young girls singing the "No one should touch my private parts song" led by Joy, the HFAW grassroots coordinator.

Cumulatively, the 3 school outreach activities reached at least students while the radio show attended by Dr. Grace Mose, HFAW Founder, and CEO, reached over 80,000 listeners and 200 followers on Facebook.

To you, our supporter, as we approach the thanksgiving period, the HFAW team wants you to know that we are grateful that we have you. We are grateful that the young girls in our community can safely and interactively access life skills education. Our community is better because of how you choose to donate to our project.

"Do not touch my private part song" at Kegwanda

Links:

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Jul 26, 2021
Schools Outreach for Lifeskills Education-8 More Schools Reached in Nyamira

By Lancer Wao | Communications Officer

HFAW's Joyce at Nyasumi Mixed Secondary school

Dear Friend and Partner

How wonderful to speak to you about the progress we have been making in empowering students with life-skills education courtesy of your support.

Over the past 2 months (June and July), we have done 8 school outreaches at Nyasumi mixed secondary school, Nyasumi primary school, Rigoma secondary school, Rigoma girls secondary school, Matutu secondary school, Riooga mixed secondary school, and Nyanchonori secondary school. Together, we reached at least 1500 students.

The vision behind the project life skills education to end teenage pregnancy is to sensitize students with messages and skills to stay focussed on education and avoid early sexual activities which lead to teenage pregnancy and put them at risk of other social problems such as dropping out of school, violence, and poverty. While our work has been successful in preventing teenage pregnancy through impacting the students with life skills, in some situations, we find that some of the students reached are either pregnant or juggling studies and taking care of their young ones. 11 of the students reached were teenage mothers and 4 were pregnant. Because of the sensitivity of the matters, we privately spoke to the girls to understand the challenges they are facing, how they are solving them, and what the future looks like in terms of studies and career aspirations. The beneficiries had the following to say regarding the activities:

"We are grateful to HFAW for visiting us and hearing the problems we are facing as students. We appreciate that they have listened to the many problems that we are experiencing. Personally, my parents are poor and cannot afford to sufficiently support me through purchasing me sanitary towels. This stresses me and affects my concentration in class. I believe this is the reason some girls are having sexual relationships. But for me I am determined to complete my studies", Betty from Nyasumi secondary school during the school outreach.

" I would like to thank our guests for visiting us at Nyasumi. The problem we are facing here is because of negligence and lack of awareness among parents. Some of them are wallowing in alcohol. Others have insisted on holding on to the harmful culture of female genital mutilation. We would like you to also organize the same forum for parents to sensitize them because they are the main reason why the practice still continues despite being banned in Kenya", Josephine, a teacher at Nyasumi.

" We are facing a lot of problems. Some of us only have a set of school uniforms. Therefore, when we break, we run home to go wash and wait for them to dry which takes a lot of time. While I wait, others are continuing with their studies and this severely contributes to me being left behind in studies", Precious, from Rigoma.

Dear friend, as you can feel from the sentiments of the students and teachers, numerous problems derail the academic progress of girls and put them at risk of teenage pregnancy. We are happy that the message reached home and the students were trusting enough to open up to us hoping for change. We are committed to changing the situation for the better through this project. We are humbled by the support you give us to solve the reality of teenage pregnancy in our community. Kindly share our work with your loved ones so that they can see the change you are making in our community.

Facilitation at Nyasumi primary school

HFAW's Gladys and Joyce (in yellow) at a Rigoma

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