EMPOWERING GIRLS: TACKLING TEENAGE PREGNANCY THROUGH EDUCATION AND HEALTH SERVICES

By Nande Fayo

• The Department of Social Development organised dialogues in Eastern Cape’s Alfred Nzo District to address the high rate of teenage pregnancies, focusing on comprehensive sexuality education and healthcare services.
• The Department of Health’s data highlights the alarming number of teenage pregnancies in the district, underscoring the need for targeted interventions to protect young girls from violence, sexual exploitation, and abuse.
• Participants called on the government to strengthen health systems, implement comprehensive sexuality education, and support pregnant teenagers in continuing their education.

Girls must be able to make their own decisions about their bodies and futures, understand the effects of teenage pregnancy, and have access to appropriate healthcare services and comprehensive sexuality education. These were the sentiments of Liyona Melani, a Grade 10 pupil at Bizana Secondary School in Bizana, Alfred Nzo District, Eastern Cape. Liyona was one of the 20 pupils who participated in teenage pregnancy dialogues organised by the Department of Social Development. The dialogues, held as a seminar, included eighty participants working in the field of sexual and reproductive health and rights among young people. The focus of the engagement was to discuss interventions that could be strengthened to empower young people.

The rate of teenage pregnancies in the Eastern Cape has become a major concern, particularly in Alfred Nzo District Municipality, which has been identified as having a high rate of teenage pregnancies. This is confirmed by data from the Department of Health (DoH) on age-related child births in the province, where Alfred Nzo reported 84 deliveries by teenagers aged 10-14 and 3,110 by 15-19-year-olds. These high numbers remain a concern for the Department as they demonstrate the vulnerability of children and their exposure to violence, sexual exploitation, and child abuse.

Another pupil, Akhumzi Faku, called on the government to strengthen the health system, implement comprehensive education on sexuality and relationships both in and out of schools, and provide contraceptives to tackle the root causes of teenage pregnancy. “We also call on the government to give more support to pregnant teenagers to continue and complete their education,” he said.

Ms Vuyokazi Cakwe-Javu from the Social Development Research Unit stated that the department has conducted comprehensive research on teenage pregnancy. Through consistent outreach programmes focusing on teenage pregnancy, the Department, in collaboration with its stakeholders, has developed tailored programmes focused on prevention. These programmes include the Social Behavioural Change Programme, Chomy, and YOLO (You Only Live Once). The department has also collaborated with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), DoH, DoE, and the House of Traditional Leaders to implement the Sexual Reproductive Health programme, targeting 30,000 young women and teenagers in and out of school.