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Gatsibo: Teens who have given birth are urged to warn others about the dangers of giving birth prematurely
Gisubizo Philemon
Apr 23, 2024 - 11:06
Adolescents who had premature pregnancies in Gatsibo District believe that telling their siblings about the consequences of premature birth would help them avoid the temptations they face when they are not at school.
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Statistics provided by Gatsibo District show that in the last seven months of this year, 771 children under the age of 19 gave birth to a doctor.
The consequences include being abandoned by families at times, dropping out of school for some, having to take care of them while still a child, poor family life that sometimes causes conflict, etc.
One of them said: "We are asked to tell our friends that it is not good to give birth prematurely, to reduce going out at night, to reduce the love of things that tempt them, money, modern clothes because the temptations have increased."
One of the girls who had an early pregnancy says that it happened to her when she was 14 years old when she was pregnant by a 22-year-old guy who told her that he loved her and seduced her by telling her that they would be together but now she has rejected by him.
The girl says that teenagers should not be lured by trivial things including telling them that they will become wives.
She said that he is going to tell teenagers that there is no point in giving birth prematurely because it hinders the development of the girl. After all, they have the responsibility of raising them at a young age.
Mrs. Nyiraneza Seraphine, a mother from Remera Sector, says that she has a child that she gave birth to when she was young and was still in school, but because she sees the government taking care of her, she does not abandon her.
She said, “I am asked to raise her again with her child and there is no one to help. I have to provide for her and her child what they need, considering that the pregnancy of teenagers is sad for us."
Through their campaign to encourage girls under the age of 18 to avoid premature pregnancies, the Association for Children Assistance helped some of the girls in the Remera Sector in Gatsibo District who faced this problem, giving them help including counselling and giving them small domestic animals so that they can develop themselves.
Rwuma Alexandre, the head of this organization, said that nowadays children who are not in school face many temptations because if they are at home, the number of people who deceive them increases.
He said, "We ask the children to protect themselves and understand that there is no benefit in giving birth before reaching the age of adulthood, we ask the parents to take care of the children and teach them about reproductive health and give them a good example of behaviour."
Last year, the Gatsibo District had about 687 abortions. So far, in the Remera Sector, 43 adolescents have been given goats worth more than one million and other sanitary equipment.
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