Sexual Health
July 16, 2018
Sex- a taboo subject that most teenagers shy away from especially when the discussion is with their parents. Most African culture does not allow open discussion on matters of sex. Most teenagers are fumbling in the dark and making all sorts of mistakes as they try to understand their sexuality. Because of lack of proper guidance, most teenagers will get involved in risky sexual behavior which will lead to unwanted pregnancies; the risk of contracting sexually transmitted diseases is also high. The pressure to engage in sex is very real for teenagers, everyone wants to have a story to tell and to feel ‘accepted.’ It is, therefore, important for teenagers to understand that they are under no obligation for get involved sexually just because ‘everyone else is doing it.’
Our lesson at Kimuka School was on sexual health, unplanned pregnancies and STI’s. Most of the girls said they feared getting pregnant, though they are also curious about their sexuality. The development of secondary sexual characteristics during adolescence gives rise to new feelings in teenagers and pushes them to experiment with their bodies. The Internet has greatly contributed to the issues facing the teenagers sexually; they get a lot of information from the Internet and most of what they experiment with ends up being harmful. I urged the girls to respect their bodies. They don’t have to do anything that they feel is wrong just because the rest pf their peers are participating. The Patron who sat in the meeting was happy to hear the discussions I had with the girls. This is a topic that is repeated often at schools because of the high drop-out rate due to pregnancies. The school holidays are coming up soon in the first week of August. The message could not have come at a better time according to the Club Patron.
We have another class this coming Wednesday in Kimuka. We will have a meeting at Kasarini on Friday to discuss the way forward regarding the club meetings. The last week of the month we will have another meeting at Shiners School