Windhoek
More than 50 Grade 10 and 12 learners from the Hage Geingob Senior Secondary School in Katutura recently learned more about the dangers of early pregnancy among female learners.
The awareness programme was initiated by the newly established Monica Gender Violence Solution (MGVS) organisation, which visited the school on Friday to give learners advice and to encourage them to stay optimistic about their schoolwork and to ignore unnecessary temptations that can ruin their future.
Although learners in the audience had to sit out in the open – as there is no school hall yet – and were hungry, they devoted their time and energy and were very attentive and happy to hear what the organisation had to say.
They were informed about the link between gender violence and HIV and AIDS; the negative effects of being sexually active at a young age and about how agreeing to sexual involvement with someone much older than them can be hazardous.
The learners were also motivated to take on the difficult route to success, so that they do not use their difficult circumstances as an excuse to fail or run to men to solve their problems.
They were given examples of single mothers that the organisation deals with, to show how difficult it is to be a young single mother, how sour many young girls’ relationships turned out after she fell pregnant.
“We also dissuaded them from that route, but advised that if they do fall pregnant, abortion and baby dumping are never a solution. If there is no family member to look after the child, they can drop the child off at our organisation,” said the secretary of the MGVS, Petronela Namushinga.
The organisation will have further follow-ups at the school to engage with the learners and suggested that the school management put up a suggestion box where learners can suggest topics they want to be addressed, focusing on those problems that prevent them from studying and how they need to be helped.