• Health

Be the change

Tulela Nghikongelwa and Bernadine Limbindo

Learners from surrounding schools gathered at the UN Plazza stadium to talk about education, human rights, health and teenage pregnancies. The campaign was titled "Let’s Talk pregnancy at the right time" which was held on the 14th of February 2020.

Jan Jonker Afrikaner High School was one of the lucky schools to be present at the campaign. Five learners attended this event.

The main focus of this campaign was to target young adolescent girls, educating them on sexual health. Learners were told that the Ministry of Education will ensure that adolescents have the same equal rights to education and have the required knowledge to make correct life choices and delay pregnancy through comprehensive sex education.

A study has proven that transactional and intergenerational sexual relationships related to both poverty/survival and the need to obtain material goods that are unaffordable, place girls at high risk for unprotected sex which then provides a gap for unwanted pregnancies, contraction of HIV and STI's.

They advised the learners that education should be a learner’s first priority and nothing should be in the way of it.

Learners were motivated by the Deputy Minister of Education, Hon. Anna Nghipondoka and a 19 year old teenage mother, Talita Garoes schooling at A. Shipena High School. She spoke about how she got pregnant and her experiences during that phase.

She fell pregnant at the age of 15, she had a relationship with a guy 10 years older than her. “Getting pregnant at the age of 15 was so devastating and sad because I didn't know what to do, I never wanted to go back to school.”

Having the trauma of everyone at school laughing at me, but one of my good friends encouraged me to go back and finish school, this really helped me and I thank God for giving me a loving and supportive mother who never left my side," she further added.

Her message to young girls out there is to focus on their education and stay away from relationships that will cost you.

“This sure was the best experience I've ever had and I did not only learn about teenage pregnancy and health but I also learned that boys are equally responsible as girls and they should take responsibility of their actions," commented Immanuel Uirab, a learner at Jan Jonker Afrikaner High School.