To reduce the problem of teen pregnancies, a ticking time bomb in Kilifi South Sub-County, the Mtoto wa Bahari organization has unveiled a program to empower learners in 17 secondary schools.
The learners will be offered scholarships and equipped with comprehensive sex education and life skills to foster self-awareness.
According to the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey 2022, the percentage of women aged 15-19 who have ever been pregnant in Kilifi County is 13 percent.
The survey also shows that teenage pregnancy in the country declines as the level of education increases, from 38 percent for women with no education to five percent for women with more than secondary education.
Joseph Kitole, Founder of the organization, says they aim to improve academic performance in Kilifi South Sub-County Secondary schools. He noted that the community contributes to poor performance and absenteeism.
Kitole emphasized that factors like upbringing and retrogressive cultural practices exacerbate early teen pregnancy.
The organization’s Outreach Director, Dr. Christine Kasichana, said Kilifi has been synonymous with teen pregnancies and poor academic performance and they want to change the narrative.
The organization is keen to identify the social and educational challenges that hinder academic performance to devise appropriate interventions for a better future for the learners.
“We are trying to zero in, walk with them in their academics through talks and empowerment. We will have a bit of life skills training so that they don’t leave school green or not knowing what they can do,” explained Dr Kasichana.
“If they have some skills, they can use those skills to earn a small shilling as they look into getting into their passionate careers,” she added.
The Principal of Shariani Secondary School, David Kenyakanga, disclosed that the school has four cases of teen pregnancies and some girls have dropped out of school.
“The numbers are still high because when you see a few cases, there could be a lot more because we have not carried out tests per se but this is what is visible but the number could be bigger than that,” said Principal Kenyakanga.
He further noted that the dropout rate in the sub-county is a multifactorial sum of early pregnancies, lack of parental guidance, lack of parental involvement in their children’s education, and lack of mentorship from the family background.
Most of the schools in Kilifi South, he said, are day schools, except for only one, which is a boarding school; thus, the students are expected to be at home most of the time after school but this is not a reality.
“Quite a number of the student’s parents have rented houses for them. In the premises where they have been kept, the parents are not taking care of their obligations of paying rent or giving them their daily food requirements,” revealed Kenyakanga.
He went on, “In the process, many of the students go into other activities, which in the long run manifests in either early pregnancies, drop or even some of them getting into drugs.”
He said parents must be sensitized about their roles and learners must be mentored from the primary schools before they transit.
The Principal stressed that if the parents were keen on their children’s education, there would be no cases of early pregnancies, early marriages, and poor performances.
“Many parents have neglected their roles as parents. It’s my sincere belief that the parents can go back and retrace their steps, play the roles of parents and role models to their children,” he said.
He welcomed the support of the organization in alleviating some of the challenges students face in their education.
The partnership, he said, will lead to improvement in academic performance and retention of students in schools.
At the K.P. Senior Secondary School, Deputy Principal Simbo Paul said they have had cases of students dropping out of school because of early pregnancies. At the moment the school has one student at home nursing a newborn baby.
“Most of those students don’t come back to school. We have tried to talk to parents to allow their children to come back to school to continue learning. Most of them give up,” stated Paul, urging the organization to frequent the school for mentorship and life skills lessons.
Jolline Katama, a Mtoto wa Bahari Program Officer, said most of the learners lack mentorship and thus are susceptible to life challenges. She called for collaborations to address the challenges.
