Is
it a matter of must or first is a great question to answer.
In
this generation, especially in The Gambia, the rate of immorality and teenage
pregnancy is increasing rapidly.
The
campaign introducing the concept of family planning to the mind set of young
people is a good one, as they are among the most vulnerable in society.
The
main target for the campaign is school children around the Greater Banjul Area.
The introduction to this campaign is based on explaining the significance of
sexual reproductive health, SRH, which is the complete physical, mental and
social well-being of an individual, and not merely the absence of disease and
infirmity.
The major challenges of SRH are STIs (Sexually
Transmitted Infections), teenage pregnancy, Female Genital Mutilation or
cutting, substance abuse (alcohol and drug abuse).
STIs
are infections that are causing most illness in the world at large, and reminds
of an epidemic in all societies. The higher risk of catching these STIs is
among young people, homosexuals and heterosexual men and women.
Family
planning, child survival, and girls’ education contribute to lowering
fertility, transforming the population age structure, and opening a window of
opportunity for economic growth.
Improving
child health services allows more children to survive and leads to couples
desiring smaller families.
Increased
investments in family planning will prevent unintended pregnancies, leading to
fewer births per woman and it also encourages girls to stay in school through
secondary level, and enables them to delay early marriage and childbearing and
have healthier families.
The
highest rate of teenage pregnancy in the world is in sub-Saharan Africa, where
women tend to marry at an early age due to regional influence or even
traditional beliefs.
Pregnancy
complications and childbirth is the leading cause of mortality in teenage
mothers. Daughters of teen mothers are more likely to become teen mothers
themselves, compared to mothers who had a child at age 20-21.
It
is mostly caused by peer influence, curiosity, lack of information about their
SRH and parental guidance. Complications of pregnancy result in the deaths of
an estimated 70,000 teen girls in developing countries each year. Teenage
pregnancy complications can result to caesarean section, eclampsia, fistula and
death.
“Planning
for the future is better than wasting a life.”
