HIV/AIDS & Reproductive Health
Source: The Star
Girls from the rural are exposed to high risks of reproductive health issues compared to their counterparts in the urban. A research carried in most African countries has shown increased school dropouts among the girls in the rural linked to reproductive health issues and consequences of corrupting the sexual integrity.
"The girls cannot also count on open and reliable information from their homes and communities due to the absence of information and services on reproductive health and rights" said the director of Forum for African Women Educationalists, Kenya Chapter Catherine Naserian.
According to FAWEK, integrity of majority adolescent girls has been corrupt through pregnancy, HIV/AIDS and STDs, female genital mutilation, forced or/and early marriages, rape and sexual harassment. Girls' educational attainment has equally been affected especially in areas where girls lack information and services that meet their needs and fulfill their right to healthy sexuality and reproduction.
"Intervention programs implemented by FAWEK intend to protect the sexual and reproductive health and rights of adolescent girls by keeping them in school" pointed out Antonina Mulamola, the chairperson FAWE-Kenyan chapter.
Mulamola said FAWEK is sponsoring the education of over 100 girls in five identified schools in Western and Nyanza regions.
"We have spent more than shs 600,000 to empower more than 1,000 adolescent boys and girls in five secondary schools in Western and Nyanza.
They been taught about adolescent sexual and reproductive health and rights" said Mulamola. She said 250 teachers and community facilitators have also been trained on adolescent sexual reproductive health and rights to enable them manage reproductive health issues in education.
Three schools are in Nyanza while two are in Western region" "We also offer them with reusable sanitary towels to keep them in school throughout the learning days" she noted. The schools benefiting from the project include Koyonzo and Mwira secondary schools in Matungu district of Western region and Kit Mikayi, Koru girls' and Inungo in Nyanza.