13 receives the DEPO injection and implant contraceptives.

Free Haven Community Intiative,a non profit organization in Livingstone on Monday held a contraception workshop with all their students in grades 6 - 12 and their guardians to ensure that they have access to and are using contraception in order to limit the number of unplanned pregnancies.

Free Haven Community Intiative CEO/Director/Founder Samantha Knaub Huesman explained how important it is for the girls to stay in school and complete their education so that they are able to have more control over their future. 

She informed the girls that over the past few months, four of the girls in the sponsorship program have become pregnant, and explained that going to school while also being a young mother severely decreases their chances of graduating and of choosing their own path in life.

"Since four of our students fell pregnant in term one,we felt that we needed to intervene. This workshop is not one that we had planned on doing, however we realized that the parents need to be involved with their students's choice of contraception in order for the students to effectively use contraception, therefore limiting the number of unplanned pregnancies."

 

Samantha then appealed to the girls mothers and female guardians and emphasized that in order for the girls to have the best chance of finishing school and claiming control of their future, it is vital for each of them to be able to make informed decisions about their bodies and their reproductive health. 

 

At the end of the workshop 13 of the 39 students who attended received either the DEPO injection or the implant. 9 of the girls are still thinking about what form of contraception is best for them and will receive their chosen method next Monday, and 17 of the girls decided against any form of contraception. 

Next week and the week after all of their students in grades 6 - 12 will be going to Libala Basic School on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday to participate in their Combined Girl and Boy Impact program where they will receive more in-depth information on these topics as well as other topics pertaining to reproductive health, mental health, consent, gender equality, and other important topics!

Credit: Lstone reports