Dealing with teenage
pregnancies needs a multi-sectorial approach since the causes are multi-faceted.
One of the underlying factors related to teenage pregnancy is poverty. Poverty
has been described as the cumulative effect of a number of “social shortfalls,”
that include inadequate education and housing, unemployment, poor working
conditions and a lack of political voice. Poverty does not only affect the physical
and mental aspects of an individual but it also limit personal choices and
motivation for change (Raphael, 2002). Living in poverty leads to abuse,
increased stress and anxiety. Poverty leads a father to sell his daughter’s virginity
for a cup of alcohol.
A sense of personal worth, hope and a feeling of having
control over one’s life, are important aspects for positive living. This can
only be accomplished when people are informed and are equipped with the right
information to make informed decisions in life. In Ohangwena, a region of more than 245,446 people only
38,342 people are formally employed and 86% are living below the poverty line
(National Planning Commission, 2015). Majority of the unemployed are women who
have no choice but to sell their bodies to gain a living. We thank the
government for old age pensions because older women gain income through it. If
it were not of that, one wonders how they were going to survive.
Therefore, sending a child to school or providing him/her with
information is the only way of eradicating poverty now and for the generations
to come. It is not a secret that those who are more privileged benefit from
societal support and resources, just as those who are disadvantaged suffer from
lack of support and resources. The community in which one grows up plays an
important role in one’s success or failure. It is this realization that lead
Namibia Library and Archives Services (NLAS) through the support of the
Millennium Challenge Account – Namibia to build state a of the art library at
Helao Nafid in Ohangwena.
The library is playing a very important role in the lives of
young people. It serves as a regional information hub to empower the community
members. A realistic approach to pregnancy
prevention recognizes the complexity of personal, social, and cultural issues
that affect youth. Combining programs that provide information services and
skills is what the library is doing as a way of rescuing our children from the
jaws of the lion ‘poverty’. We know very well that when one does not have
something to do, they can do anything including sex as a time killer. We always have something constructive for our library users. In May
2015 we started a program of training women with advanced computer skills.
These skills will not only empower women to look for jobs but also to start
their own businesses. Girls in Ohangwena we urge you to come in numbers to the
library where you will lose your
innocence (gain information) without losing your virginity.
If anyone is writing a thesis and would want someone to type it for him/her we have ladies in Ohangwena who can do it for you.
No comments:
Post a Comment