Erick Nyayiera
Poverty is to blame for the high rate of teenage pregnancies and early marriages in Siaya County.
Statistics indicate that the rate of teenage and adolescent pregnancy currently stands at 35 per cent.
According to the Director of a youth organization called the African Youth and Adolescent Associates (AYADA) Catherine Abong’o, this is as a result of poverty.
“Most adolescent girls and especially those who come from poor backgrounds are often forced to enter into illicit relationships to be able to buy basics such as sanitary towels, hence the high rate of pregnancies,” she observed.
The Director added that apart from looking for money for those items, some of the girls, especially those orphaned, get into such engagements to fend for their siblings.
Abong’o, a nurse by profession, said that most of the young girls do not willingly put themselves in such situations, adding that lack of bonding with parents aggravated the situation.
The organization has started to offer training on reproductive health to sensitize the young girls on the challenges facing them at their age and how to cope with the attendant change.
