Adolescents Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights (ASRHR)

Save the Children and the Ministry of education recently engaged Primary and High school pupils around the country on Comprehensive Sexuality Education and Information (CSE&I).

Following the Ministry of Education incorporating Life Skills Education (LSE) in school’s syllabus, Save the Children and the Ministry of Education through its Regional Guidance Officers took the initiative to enhance the quality of the syllabus through the Adolescents Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights (ASRHR) and the Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) – HIV Knows No Borders projects.

The projects aimed at promoting easy access to SRHR information and services , ensure that children, adolescents and young people in the country have the best chance for success and that they are healthy, nourished, protected and educated; hence creating a world in which every child attains the right to survival , protection , development and participation which is in line with Save the Children’s mission to inspire breakthroughs in the way the world treats children and to achieve immediate and lasting change in their lives.

Seeing the high rate of teenage pregnancy, school dropouts and violence in the country, the projects play a vigorous role in safeguarding that the target group makes knowledgeable and comprehensive decisions; thus breaching the gap between parents and children with the goal to create a child friendly and conducive  environment.

Through the sessions, pupils were encouraged to delay sexual debut in a bid to reduce the rate of teenage pregnancy, school dropouts and Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) including HIV/AIDS.

Moreover, issues of abuse were also discussed at length as to raise awareness on how to report such cases.

During the sessions, it was gathered that children know a lot more than what their parent’s think they know as they usually get their information from peers and social media platforms, which can be misleading; thus the team ensured that they were given accurate and age appropriate information.

On another note, teachers were also taken through the issues of SRHR including Positive Discipline.