BUJUMBURA, June 14th (ABP) – Young people have little or no information about sexual and reproductive health (SRH), which increases the number of unwanted pregnancies in schools, according to a two-day workshop on SRH held in Ijenda.
According to the pupils and health club supervisors who attended the workshop, the youth-friendly health centers are less popular. While some students doubt the confidentiality of the healthcare staff, others are far from the schools, and still others say they are unaware of the youth-friendly CDSs and the lessons they teach.
The Provincial Director of Education (DPE) in Bujumbura (western Burundi), Raphaël Ciza, said that cases of pregnancy had increased this year. Last year, 80 cases were recorded, he said, adding that for the 2023-2024 school year, the DPE has recorded 95 cases during the first and second terms. He fears that these cases will increase in the 3rd term.
The communes with the highest number of cases are Mutimbuzi and Kanyosha. As for the commune of Mukike, it comes last with zero cases of pregnancy last year and 4 cases this year.
DPE Ciza, who fears that not all cases are being reported, is urging parents, peer educators and health supervisors to talk to their pupils and children about SRH, without taboos, in order to prevent unwanted pregnancies.
The workshop was organised by local NGO Twitezimbere, through its Multi-actors for Family Planning (FP) project in Burundi