My thoughts and beliefs can benefit others

After morning assembly that fateful Monday, I went to class disturbed. I couldn’t help but wonder what future awaited the two girls expelled from school because they were pregnant. As I taught that morning's lessons, I digressed a little to discuss the issue with my students of form five. Following a heated argument to decide who is to blame for the situation, I came to the conclusion that it is ignorance on the part of the parents, girls and the community as a whole. My adolescent days came back to me clearly since it was no different from the present situation. When I was the same age as those two girls, I had a crude abortion because I didn’t want to suffer the consequences of being expelled. I got pregnant because I didn’t have any knowledge about my sexuality and reproductive health. I imagined the situation was the same with these victims.

At this juncture, one thought was pressing on my mind: creating a forum for girls and young people in general to get information on their sexuality and how to cope with the pressures it brings. For more than 17 years after my crude abortion, I have been thinking that educating the young about their sexuality will greatly help to reduce their challenges. I realized that empowering girls with knowledge about their sexuality and how to manage it was the solution to unwanted pregnancy, abortion and school dropout. Amazingly when I started working with a few girls, counseling them and providing them with unbiased knowledge, I was proven right. This experience has given me the zeal to empower every girl I meet and I will continue this work until all girls in my community are empowered with this knowledge.