Programmes are being put in place to stem the lack of information on sexuality that is a major contributor to school drop-outs in Kenya.
While statistics show that 13,000 children drop out of school every year due to pregnancies, a new programme in Bungoma County is targeting young people through performing arts.
The After-Hours Adolescence Project in Bungoma County, an initiative of the Centre for the Study of Adolescence (CSA), has brought together schools in Webuye West and Mt Elgon sub-counties with the aim of creating awareness on reproductive health.
The programme involves young people both in and out of school, and showcases performances with messages tailored around issues of youth sexuality as a way of educating young people.
According to CSA’s Maurine Amwayi, the talent programme targets schools around eight health facilities that offer after-hours services to young people, by offering information among other critical services.
“We target schools that are around facilities that offer these services and other young people in the area to spread the information,” said Amwayi.
Figures released by the Bungoma County Government last year showed that 51,037 girls had dropped out of school due to pregnancy. Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) figures show that one in every six girls aged between 15 and 19 years in the county, either has given birth or is pregnant.
While the talent programme was started as a precursor to the World Contraceptive Day, Albert Obbuyi, the executive director of CSA, said there were plans to keep it going so as to reach as many adolescents as possible.
Jenifer Masai, who was a judge in one of the competitions held at Chebosi Salvation Army Church Hall in Webuye West, said this was one of the best ways to reach young people.
“Young people speak better to each other and understand their own language better; when they tailor a message, it reaches their peers better than adults can do,” she said.
The young people also undergo holiday-based workshops using a curriculum during the school holidays of April, with follow ups in August and December.
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