In bid to realize the government’s 100 per cent transition, Bungoma County Government has partnered with Forum for African Women Educationalist (FAWE) to ensure that over 12,000 teen mums return to school and continue with their studies.
Addressing the media after a stakeholders’ consultative meeting, Milsane Kiplai, the county’s adolescent sexual reproductive health coordinator, said they value the girl child’s contribution to society and hence the campaign to get them back in class.
She said the girls ought to be given an opportunity to maximize their potential, pointing out that if for one reason or the other these girls end up with pregnancies, they should be given a second chance.
“We want to give an opportunity to each of them to ensure that they achieve their set dreams. One way of achieving their dreams is getting the right education, which can then help them make choices in terms of what they want to do in future,” she noted.
She highlighted that in the recent past, Bungoma has been mentioned adversely as one of the counties with very high teenage pregnancy rates, affirming that stakeholders drawn from various departments have come together to discuss how the girls can get back to school.
“As much as we discuss how we can have our girls get back to school, our main agenda remains preventing teenage pregnancy because it is then that they are able to complete their education as scheduled,” Kiplai added.
The county coordinator reported that according to data from the Ministry of Health (MOH), Bungoma has had over 12,000 teenage pregnancies in the last five years, an alarming number that peaked at 22,000 in 2018.
Pius Ng’oma, Bungoma County Director of Education, said the teenage pregnancy issue has been a problem in the region for a very long time, assuring that with stakeholders coming together, the menace will be curbed.
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By Achola Bulimo Mathews
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