Teenage Pregnancies in Zimbabwe

Introduction

Teenage pregnancies have been on the increase in Zimbabwe in recent years especially during the past 2 years in the covid lock down era.  According to UNFPA in Zimbabwe, “The country has a high adolescent fertility rate of 108 per 1,000 among young women aged 15 to 19 years. This is against average fertility rate of 101 births per 1,000 young women aged between 15 and 19 in sub-Saharan Africa'.

There is therefore a need to look into the measures which can be put in place to prevent teenage pregnancy and moreso to highlight the consequences to the teenagers . It also seems that this challenge is more prevalent in poorer and marginalised communities. The sad reality is that these are usually unplanned pregnancies of the school going-age teenagers. The teenage mother and the child's lives are at stake  especially if no other measures are put in place  for their future

Task

There is a need to look into the causes of teenage pregnancy and the possible interventions put in place. What is the relationship between poverty and pregnancies? Could it be that there is more to it than what is known by many people? Since there might not be readily available statistics, it would be prudent to gather information from both formal and informal sources . Gathering of the information can be tedious and not very easy as most people might not be comfortable to speak to strangers. This is further complicated by the fact that some communities might want to conceal such information as much as possible.

Process

An in-depth understanding regarding child pregnancies is needed. There is need to look for  selected participants from the  areas with high prevalent rates of child pregnancies especially in peri urban areas and rural areas.  Methods to get such information will be through conducting semi-structured interviews and having some case study in an area such as a Growth Point.

Statistics for child pregnancies although difficult to come across, can be obtained from schools and local communities. The participantsin these interviews should include both girls and boys, teachers and parents as they form the cross section of a community to get balanced views.

Active participation of the teenage girls is key as it includes interventions such as career counseling and tutoring on the areas to do with  sex education and reproductive health services. 

Evaluation

As part of the evaluation, the following responses will be reviewed using likert scale -Strongly Disagree, Disagree, Undecided, Agree & Strongly Agree

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Teenage pregnancies are due to poverty                                          Strongly Disagree, Disagree, Undecided, Agree & Strongly Agree

Community leaders offering counselling and support                    Strongly Disagree, Disagree, Undecided, Agree & Strongly Agree

School supportive on the victims of teenage pregnancies             Strongly Disagree, Disagree Undecided  Agree Strongly Agree

There is sufficient knowledge on abstinence and contraceptives  Strongly Disagree, Disagree, Undecided, Agree & Strongly Agree

Post maternal care is readily available                                              Strongly Disagree, Disagree, Undecided, Agree & Strongly Agree

The girl child is given chance to start again                                     Strongly Disagree, Disagree, Undecided, Agree & Strongly Agree

Conclusion

Teenage pregnancies if not addressed well can result in the future of many girls shattered and loss of lives to the babies who might have been born under difficult circumstances. It is a national issue that needs all hands on deck. The future of the nation is in the hands of teenagers of today. Any challenges that affect their future is of serious concern to the community in which they live and the country at large.

Credits
Teacher Page

When the effects and consequences of teenage pregnancies are discussed within the communities, more teenagers are likely to be enlightened. Prevention of teenage pregnancies especially through abstinence can be taken seriously if there is an active engagement of the community.

The community leaders can work together with the teachers to reduce or eradicate the teenage pregnancies.