Society Must Create Enabling Environment For Youths To Thrive

Society Must Create Enabling Environment for Youth To Thrive

Ever seen that advertisement of a young man stranded at the shop asking for packets of biscuit because he couldn’t stand the shame of buying a condom in a crowded shop? He then leaves the shop after a while only to find the girl gone. Do you think the man will shop for a condom next time??

How comfortable are young people accessing sexual and reproductive health services, including just buying condoms? Isn’t it interesting that a society that despises teenage mothers and frowns upon abortions, judges young people that access these services?

What’s the consistency in that??

Wouldn’t an enabling environment for use of contraceptives tackle most of the challenges facing our young people?

The society is so judgmental when it comes to teenage affairs. You cannot talk about your sexual needs and problems to the society. They will actually see you as a bad person, a pervert and a spoilt brat who wants to spoil others.

A boy and a girl cannot be seen together in this society. All that people think is that whenever a boy is with a girl all they can afford to talk about is sex se sex. They punish them in the name of correcting them while in the real sense they are marking things worse. This only forces these teenagers to do things behind their back.

Where is the stand? Youths caught up in this confusion end up making wrong decision hence increase in STDs, abortion and unwanted pregnancies.

The society must create an enabling environment where young people thrive and are not inhibited.

THE FORGOTTEN POPULATION

The Forgotten Population

(In the photo is Young girls carry water on the train tracks that run through the Kibera)

Currently urban poverty is gradually surpassing rural poverty. According to data from the Word Bank, by 2030 poverty will become more predominant in urban areas. It is estimated that in Kenya about 43% of the urban population is poor and majority of them live in slums.

It is here in the slums that most of the people suffer and experience reproductive health problems. No one is actually there to help them since most of the development programs in Kenya are mainly focused in rural areas.

The slum population usually experience high rate of diseases including sexually transmitted diseases including HIV/AIDS. There is a high HIV prevalence in the ghetto among women and this is caused by gender inequality.

It is in these same slums that there is a high mortality rate. According to a study done in Nairobi slums it was concluded that HIV and TB are the root cause of about 50% of the mortality burden.

Also, it is in these slums where high child mortality is experienced. This is usually caused by child malnutrition and diseases. For most slum dwellers taking children for clinic visits is a luxury they can’t afford.

Sexual violence, especially rape against women, is another common occurrence in this forgotten population. A good example is in Nairobi ghettos where a quarter of the teenage girl’s population are raped each year. This is a serious issue and it has to stop because it leads to other problems such as early and unwanted pregnancy which may lead to unsafe abortion and even death.

Maternal mortality is also common in slum areas due to early pregnancies among teenagers, unsafe abortions and poor health care services. Most of the women usually deliver and home because most health care services does not exist in the slums. This is a big problem because it risks the mother’s health and the child too.

Domestic violence is also common among women in the slums. Sometimes these violence may lead to death and some health complications.

In as much as these areas may pass as urban areas that are doing well, the reality is that policy makers must factor in this crucial population in their programming and policy making.

THEY CALL ME SMELLY JOYCE

They Call Me Smelly Joyce

She slowly climbs into the matatu and firmly plants herself into the ‘sambaza’ (the wooden boards that matatu crew put on aisles as seats for extra passengers). The other passengers heave a collective sigh of relief. The last passenger in, it means that the matatu can surely be on its way now.

The excitement is however short-lived.

They twitch their noses in severe discomfort and reach for the windows.

The new passenger smells like a burst pipe of raw sewage.

The man next to her can’t hide his disappointment in her hygiene.

“Yawa, Lake Victoria imejaa maji mingi, si uoge hata siku moja. Watu kama nyinyi ndo maana baba haezi shinda kura”

(Go take a shower in Lake Victoria)

If the words stung, you couldn’t tell it from her expressionless face.

She remained impassive. Like a deaf. Like she wasn’t the one being talked to.

Jane* has endured more taunts in her lifetime than you can probably imagine. She’s just in her late thirties but you would be forgiven for thinking she’s an old grandmother.

She is among the three thousand women who succumb to obstetric fistulas every year in Kenya.

The condition may not have killed her, but it has drained her of all the life within.

She says society has cast her aside like a spent car.

Despite the high numbers of women who continue to curse every day of their lives due to this conditions that makes them unable to control their piss and stool, this disease hasn’t been addressed with the same vigor victims have been ostracized.

But women with fistulas require more than acts of kindness. They need more than just our indifference.

They require attention.

They need to be restored back to full health. They need to experience right to dignity as enshrined in our supreme laws.

However, this remains a mirage if Jane isn’t aware that her condition is treatable or that Kenyatta National Hospital has the powers to restore her smile back.

But increasing fistulas are just a manifestation of a leaking healthcare system. She probably underwent a prolonged, obstructed labour without timely medical intervention probably due to inaccessibility to health facility during childbirth.

Now, she has to survive eight hours of taunts as she travels to Nairobi for a corrective surgery.

County governments must now step up and ensure universal access to healthcare. They have unprecedented opportunity to reign in on their local endemic and emerging challenges.

This however goes deeper than treating the sick. It needs to go beyond ensuring access to services and information.

Tackling fistulas require taking care of underneath issues like teenage pregnancy, high fertility rates, non-youth friendly reproductive health services among others.

Now more than ever, we need to take care of adolescents and youths, not just to reduce the burden of disease now and later in life ,to ensure a healthy generation ,to  harness demographic dividend but also as an inalienable human rights

LOUD WHISPERS OF MISERY

Loud Whispers of Misery

She cuts the figure of a run-down woman almost crumbling at the sheer weight of the world on her tiny shoulders.

Atieno* is just sixteen years old, yet in her tiny world, she has been to hell and back.

When we meet Atieno at her grandmother’s house in Uwasi village, she tells us about her unhealed scars.

Yet Atieno doesn’t exhibit the normal signs of injuries. For she has a bigger sickness-in her mind!

Psychosocial trauma is a major problem bedeviling many a young person today.

When Atieno opens up to tell the devastating post exposure experiences after procuring an unsafe abortions, she evokes a deep empathy of what she had to go through and how life would have played out differently.

Sometimes a person may get away with the physical risks of procuring an unsafe abortion, but the psychological scars live forever.

When she got the news that she was pregnant, she thought it was just a funny joke that the body was plying on her.

Yes, she had engaged in unprotected sex with a local village boy but surely she couldn’t have been pregnant. Not at sixteen!

What would people say? What would happen to her now?

She had to get rid of her public source of ridicule!!

But because of poverty and a restrictive legal environment on unsafe abortions in Kenya, Atieno was referred to a quack operating in a dingy corner of Siaya’s sprawling slums.

She was scared, hoping for the best while expecting the worst.

It’s the worst that would happen.

She had never seen so much blood ooze out of a person. The pain was excruciating, searing and unignorable.

Perhaps, her date with the maker was closer than she had imagined.

She ended up going to the back street attendant who managed to stop the bleeding, but permanently tempered with her cervix and womb.

Her pains were later to be compounded with the disappearance of her sugar bear.

But Atieno isn’t alone in all this. Statistics paint a grim picture of the Kenyan youth. Unsafe abortions are so common, yet nobody talks about them.

There is need to address women’s rights issues and the rights of other marginalized population’s including young people.

Many young women die due to unsafe abortions.

The higher costs of treating complications from unsafe abortions pushes women further into greater poverty.

Complications resulting from pregnancy are the leading causes of deaths for young women of ages 15-19 because they lack proper information and access to youth friendly services.

If only young people could have access to information and youth friendly services…..

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There’s something our parliament can do to make young people more than just statistics- they can pass the Reproductive Health Care Bill 2014 and fast track access to information and services by young people.

WHY WE REALLY NEED YOUTH FRIENDLY SERVICES IN USONGA

Why We Really Need Youth Friendly Services in Usonga

I look forward to school holiday because they enable me to visit my grandmother in Usonga but also to interact with other youth from my hometown.

Before I go home my friends usually remind me to carry them condoms, a commodity so precious, yet so rare.

Condoms are probably the cheapest things one can get, especially those ‘yellow’ SURE ones issued by the government, right? Not in Usonga, my home town.(Youths fear being seen going for them in dispensery)

Even the once I carry aren’t enough.

My friend Ogopa decries the state of inadequate access to sexual and reproductive health services including condoms.

“Sometimes we are forced to recycle condoms because we cannot afford to buy condoms every time. Sometimes it’s a choice between food and condoms. It means that after using condoms, I have to rinse it with clean water, apply some oil and store it for yet another session. It’s not just me alone”

Ogopa has never heard of a youth friendly facility, neither are the hospitals accessible, despite the provisions of the national guidelines on provision of youth friendly services.

‘Do I have to walk for long kilometers just to get a condom? Isn’t recycling just easier?”

Whereas they recognize the risks they put themselves through recycling condoms, to them half a loaf (recycling) is better than no bread.

‘Leonard  most of the people think that we are okay and healthy but the truth of the matter is that we the youths of seme are suffering and we have been marginalized.’

Ogopa reminds me that teenage pregnancies in Usonga that was aired by a local radio some time back  was majorly because of limited access to contraceptives.

He is incensed by wastage of public funds by policy makers and little or no investment in youth friendly services.

“Bring us more condoms when you come back but tell our policy makers that we want youth friendly services, not just for condoms but also for other services including family planning methods”
Help LEONARD OTIENO achieve his dreams of having a good Youth Friendly Resource Centre  where we can discuss our health issues, income generating activities, conflict solving , good relationship and Many More

MYTHS/FACTS ABOUT TEENAGE PREGNANCY

AS A TEENAGER, YOU MAY HEAR A LOT OF CONFLICTING
INFORMATION FROM FAMILY, FRIENDS AND EVEN ADULTS
ABOUT HOW PREGNANCYHAPPENS AND HOW TO PREVENT
IT.
That’s why it is important to use a reliable resource to
double-check the information you hear. Here we
separate fact from fiction as we debunk some common
pregnancy myths.
1. MYTH: YOU CAN’T GET PREGNANT THE FIRST TIME
YOU HAVE SEX.
FACT: Whether it’s the first time or fiftieth time you
have had sex, your chances of becoming pregnant are
the same. Even if a girl has never had her period,
there is a possibility that she’s about to start her first
cycle. In that case, then she has already ovulated,
which means that an egg is present, and when an egg
and sperm are present, pregnancy can occur.
Fact: Even if a guy hasn’t ejaculated recently, it is
still possible for the girl to get pregnant because some
guys have sperm in their pre-cum.
2. MYTH: GIRLS CAN’T GET PREGNANT DURING THEIR
PERIOD.
FACT: Most girls ovulate in the middle of their cycle on
about day 14 after their period starts, but some
ovulate closer to or during their period. Also it is
important to remember that sperm can survive in the
body for up to seven days. If you ovulate within a
week of having unprotected sex, there is a possibility
you can still become pregnant.
3. MYTH: DOUCHING OR WASHING MY VAGINA OUT AFTER
SEX WILL PREVENT ME FROM GETTING PREGNANT.
FACT: Douching will not prevent pregnancy, but it can
increase the chances of a girl becoming pregnant.
Douching is when a solution of water and some mild
cleanser is used to wash out the vagina. The fluid is
usually in a squeezable bottle with a long tube that can
be inserted into the vagina. The fluid is then pushed
up inside the vagina when the bottle is squeezed. If a
girl douches right after sex, the force of the liquid can
push thesemen further into the girl’s body, increasing
the chance of pregnancy. Douching is in fact not
recommended at all because it can cause infections by
messing with the natural pH balance in the vagina. The
vagina should ideally have a lower pH or be a bit
acidic to protect itself from infection. The vagina
produces small amounts of discharge to clean itself
naturally.
4. MYTH: IF A GUY “PULLS OUT” BEFORE HE
EJACULATES, YOU CAN’T GET PREGNANT.
FACT: Once a guy is aroused, he releases pre-
ejaculatory fluid also known as “pre-cum.” Pre-cum
may contain sperm, and it only takes one sperm to
fertilize an egg. It can also be harder for teens to
control their ejaculation and pull out in time, which
increases the risk of ejaculating in the vagina or
getting it on the vaginal opening. “Pulling out” should
not be the only form of birth control that you and
your partner use, especially when there are other
methods that are more effective at preventing
pregnancy. Also, it is important to remember that
pulling out does not protect you from sexually
transmitted diseases (STDs).
5. MYTH: YOU CAN’T GET PREGNANT FROM PRE-CUM.
FACT: Pre-cum or pre-ejaculatory fluid is released
when a guy gets an erection. Pre-ejaculatory fluid
cleans out the inside of a guy’s urethra. Pre-cum can
pick up leftover sperm on its way out of the urethra if
a guy ejaculated recently. Even if a guy hasn’t
ejaculated recently, it is still possible for the girl to
get pregnant because some guys have sperm in their
pre-cum.
6. MYTH: YOU CAN’T GET PREGNANT IF YOU HAVE SEX
STANDING UP.
FACT: Yes, you can get pregnant this way. No matter
what position you are in, whenever you are
havingvaginal sex, especially without any form of
protection, you are at risk of getting pregnant.
Gravity has no effect on a sperm’s ability to travel
through the vagina, into the uterus, where it can
potentially reach an egg. The truth is that there is no
sex position where you can’t get pregnant.
7. MYTH: HAVING SEX IN WATER— LIKE A POOL OR HOT
TUB— PREVENTS YOU FROM GETTING PREGNANT.
FACT: Whether you are in a bed, underwater or in
space, it is still possible to get pregnant if you are
having unprotected sex. It would be best to use some
form of protection when in a pool or hot tub, such as
a condom. There is some concern that the chemicals in
a pool or hot tub could weaken a condom, but it is
better to use one anyway. A “female” or receptive
condom would be a better option since it’s less likely to
slip out of the body, and it’s made of polyurethane,
which is very durable. You do have to watch out though
because sex in a pool or hot tub can irritate the
genitals, which increases the risk of STDinfection.
8. MYTH: YOU CAN’T GET PREGNANT IF YOU DO JUMPING
JACKS AFTER SEX.
FACT: No, semen will not flow down and out of your
vagina because you’re doing jumping jacks. If you
want to prevent a pregnancy, you need to use a
condom during sexual intercourse or be on some kind
of hormonal birth control.
There are a lot of myths about pregnancy—and some
are completely ridiculous. So it is really important to
differentiate between what’s true and what’s false.
You don’t want to assume you won’t get pregnant when
you’re taking a risk and not practicing safer sex. And
you don’t want to panic when you haven’t done
anything that puts you at risk for pregnancy either.
Knowing the facts makes it so much easier to figure
out what you need to do to prevent a pregnancy—if
you decide to have penile-vaginal sex.

VAGINAL DISCHARGE:Types and Signs

Vaginal Discharge: Types and Signs

Vaginal discharge can well be described as the body's mode of communication to you about the goings-on in your reproductive system.

Vaginal discharge is a liquid (and sometimes semi-solid) substance produced by glands in the vagina and cervix. It changes in terms of amount and hue, ranging from very little, to alot, and clear color to milky-whitish, or sometimes even brown.

Anything that changes the normal bacterial content of the fluid, causes changes in its color, thickness and odour.

The fluid serves the important role of cleansing the system, and for the most part, it is normal.

When To Be Worried
Abnormal activity in the vagina can be signalled by a drastic change in the color, and a bad odour, especially when accompanied by some itching.

So now lets briefly look at the common vaginal discharge colors, and what they may signal

BLOODY/ BROWN: 
When accompanied by pelvic pain and vaginal bleeding, this may be a sign of Irregular menses. Less oftenly, it may also be a sign of cervical or endometrial cancer.
It may also be an effect of birth control pills that cause hormonal changes, or an IUD that has been placed badly.

CLOUDY/ YELLOW
when accompanied by bleeding between periods, urinary incontinence (.Involuntary release of urine, or Leaking a small to moderate amount of urine), and pelvic pain, this is symptom of gonorrhea

Frothy, yellow or greenish with a bad smellAccompanied by pain and itching when urinating are a symptom of Trichomoniasis

PINK
is a sign of shedding of the uterine wall, and happens especially after child-birth

Thick, white, cheesy is a symptom of Yeast Infecion.

WHITE, GRAY, OR YELLOW WITH FISHY ODORwith Itching or burning, redness and swelling of the vagina or vulva. Are a symptom of Bacterial Vaginiosis.

TIPS TO PREVENT VAGINAL INFECTIONS

*Keep the vagina clean by washing regularly with a gentle, mild soap and warm water.

*Never use scented soaps and feminine products or douche. Also avoid feminine sprays and bubble baths.

*After going to the bathroom, always wipe from front to back to prevent bacteria from getting into the vagina and causing an infection.

*Wear 100% cotton underpants, and avoid overly tight clothing.

It's my hope that this info will go a long way in helping you keep your reproductive health in tip-top shape and help you diagnose and problems associated with Vaginal Discharge

Effects of Pregnancy Termination On Subsequent Pregnancies

Effects of Pregnancy Termination on Subsequent Pregnancies

Among the questions we recently received, is a mother who lost a child (still-birth) and the following pregnancy, the doctors found meconium when the baby was born. So she was asking what could have been the problem.
Our consultant gynecology expert interviewed her a bit and she admitted to have had procured an abortion. (according to the expert the height of the mother, and a history of having procured an abortion were the main suspects...they are the first 2 things he asked about)
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I am not so much into the debate about abortion right now. But recent studies show that more than 40% of births in Kenya are are unplanned. The figure rises to 47% among teenagers. Only about 39% of women use contraceptives and it's a third of these that rely on a modern method. Reports indicate that there are about310,000 abortions every year in Kenya. 21,000 women are admitted each year due to abortion related complications from having unsafe abortions. So whether we are against abortion (pro-life) or are pro-choice, we can all agree that alot of unsafe abortions are taking place, for a myriad of different reasons.
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Alright. Abortion has a big effect on the uterus, sometimes bringing about complications when the woman tries to get pregnant later in future.

some research suggests a possible link between abortion and an increased risk of:
*.Vaginal bleeding during early pregnancy
*.Preterm birth
*.Low birth weight
*.Placenta problems, such as retained placenta

As it happens, the type of complication to anticipate is somehow dependant on the type of abortion that the woman procured. 
For example,D&C (Dilation and Curettage) which involves dilating the cervix brings about possible damage to the cervix, resulting from forcible dilatation during the operation. 

The risk of having a premature delivery or a low birthweight baby tends to be higher (but not significantly) among women whose first pregnancy is terminated by medically induced abortion.
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Bottom-line is, for women who procured an abortion and are now planning to have a child, it is advisable to inform your doctor of this, so that proper examination is carried out on the cervix and uterus to prevent complications from occuring during the pregnancy.

THE KEY BELOW YOUR PANTS IS NOT THE KEY TO YOUR FUTURE..

THE KEY BELOW YOUR PANTS IS NOT THE KEY TO YOUR FUTURE
Looking back when we were growing up my mum used to say, walk tall my girl treat your flower like gold so that only the men of worth see it,
I guess I thought when I first saw him he was the one my mum talked about, how wrong I was  to let him in unprotected,

now I sit alone at the same home in pain and regret, the memory so vivid I can feel it,

where will my baby get fees I wonder, I dropped out  of school in promise of marriage now am tempted towards miscarriage, I feel worthless like a tool for sex, the outcome of early pregnancy, the promise of reward that turned sour,
ladies keep it in, the fairytale are just that and happy endings are a dream except for the lucky ones, focus on the prize and be ready but don’t be foolish, the key below is not the key of the future

RAPE and DEFILEMENT

Rape is to an adult whereas Defilement is to a minor.
Most perpetrators of defilement are men who take
advantage of helpless innocent young girls to satisfy
their selfish sexual urges. The sad part is that such
criminals are protected by the women who are
supposed to be on the forefront in protecting their
children, but instead, they protect these men in the
name of protecting their marriages and preserving the
name of their families. Rape is having forceful sexual
encounter without the other person consenting to it.
Sex is a mutual activity and both must be comfortable
and consent to it before it happens. Many rape cases
go unreported, only a handful find their way to the
police. Most of the rape cases thaj go unreported are
those that involve friends, acquintances and among
married couples. Yes I said married couples coz there's
marital rape. In my own opinion I think we've all
either raped or been raped but we don't know or
didn't know - Date Rape. Date rape is the very
common form of rape but the least talked about.

LIFE DOESN'T HAVE A SELL BY DATE

Life Doesnt Have A Sell By Date

Or does it?

Best on or before?.. Nearly everything we touch nowadays has a sell by date somewhere on the packaging.

When is your best before date? What's the date when you will be thrown away. What's the date when it has been decided that you are no longer at your best? What's the date when you are reduced in order to get you off the shelf?

We know. Life doesn't have a sell by date. Or does it?

Some of our friends run their lives as though there is a sell by date. They work night and day. They have all the gismos, mobile phone, BlackBerry, i-Pod, everything that is necessary to keep them in contact with the world. Everything to ensure they are available at a moments notice whatever the time. Day or night. They won't even go jogging unless they have those infamous 'white wires' in their ears. They are saying to the world. I have a sell by date. I am at my best now. If you don't buy me before?. then I will be thrown in the rubbish bin.

Just stop for a moment. Ask yourself.

Do you run your life as if you have a sell by date? Are you running your life at such a speed that you feel that you are the hot property now and in a few months it will be all over? Do you believe that your life is like a product that has a minimal shelf life?

If you are running your life in this way then there must come a time, as you get nearer and nearer to the sell by date, when you become less and less important. Your retailer will do anything to get rid of you. Your price is reduced so much that it is almost given away.

If this is the case, what are you going to do with the rest of your life?

We are just as capable of learning when we are 50 as when we are 15. So what's the problem? Why are you working yourself to death? What is it that makes you feel that you are on a short time frame?

People. You and Me. Limit ourselves. You stop yourself from learning. In other words: the person who suggests you have a sell by date is??? you. the person who makes you work excessive hours at an excessive pace is?.you. the person who stops you having 'prime' time with your family is???you.

Answer this question: What is it about yourself that you like?

We have been brought up to cherish that which you really love. To care for things you really like. So, when we have something that we like very much, we treasure it.

So why don't you cherish yourself?

Go on make the effort. It's worth it.

Good Luck