Village head blames teen pregnancies on loose morals
Group Village Head (GVH) Kapichi of Thyolo has bemoaned increase in teenage pregnancies and Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) in her district due to immorality.
She was speaking on the side-lines of a Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) awareness meeting held at Namiwa Community based organisation in the district.
“This generation is exposed to many things which are making them not to adhere to advice. They regard our culture as old fashioned,” she said.
GVH Kapichi disclosed that in 2014, 14 girls from Chikolombu Primary School dropped out of school due to pregnancies.
“I don’t subscribe to the issue of giving these youth condoms or contraceptives because that is encouraging them to be engaged in immoral activities. But at this point parents have no choice but to accept that there is moral decay,” she said.
Head of Reproductive Health Programme for Population Services International (PSI), Caroline Bakasa, said lack of information among the youth has led to the increase in pregnancies.
“The N’zatonse project was introduced in this area because we noted the gap. We believe this will help break the taboos and issues about sexuality and contraceptives,” she said.
Bakasa said it was anticipated that there would be continued dialogue on SRHR issues when the project ends next year because at the moment, faith and traditional leaders and young people have been empowered to do so.
Blantyre Synod Health and Development Commission (BSHDC) has been implementing N’zatonse project since 2014 and it is expected to end in 2017.
“SRHR are cultural issues and such things don’t change overnight. For now at least some girls who dropped out of school due to pregnancies have gone back after our project was introduced,” said BSHDC Director, Lindirabe Gareta-Mazinyane.
BSHDC introduced N’zatonse project in 11 districts across the country in 2014 to give SRHR information to young people living in hard to reach areas using faith based and traditional structures.
Malawi Demographic Health Survey (MDHS) of 2010 says 106,000 girls (aged 15 to 24 years) get unwanted pregnancies every year.
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