Students of GS Remera discuss early pregnancy

Raising awareness about dangers of unwanted pregnancies among the youth is one of the major goals of Open Voice. Our team recently team visited Groupe Scolaire Remera and had a discussion with students about the subject. Alice Kayinamura Hamduni Ngirinshuti Alice Kayinamura After a friend of mine got pregnant, her parents started having wrangles at home. They were blaming each other for failure to look after her and, in the end, they had to separate. I don’t have any idea where that girl is right now, although I strongly believe that she dropped out of school. Hamduni Ngirinshuti I have seen pregnant girls at school before but life was always tough for them. They rarely attended class and, worse still, their boyfriends always hid from them. In fact, some of them eventually dropped out of school. Amitre Niyibizi Rajab Kagame Amitre Niyibizi Pregnancy among students always starts as a simple relationship with boys. With time, the two become familiar with each other which breeds babies. However, the girl becomes the loser. Rajab Kagame I fear pregnancy because I understand that it has an effect on the academic concentration of a girl. Pregnant girls that I have seen miss out on a number of lessons and school activities. Some even hide from their parents. Sylivestre Byamungu Winifred Mbabazi Sylivestre Byamungu When children get pregnant at an early stage, parents and siblings of the victim get humiliated publicly. However, most victims are girls who engage in promiscuous activities. Some do not even know the men or boys responsible. Winifred Mbabazi My sister got pregnant while in school and my parents got very angry with her especially because she tried to keep it a secret from them. She was betrayed by her bulging tummy and her clothes which could no longer fit her. From that day, we all swore never to emulate her. Elizabeth Mutoni Elizabeth Mutoni They always warn us to stay away from sexual activities if we don’t want to drop out of school thanks to pregnancy. Early pregnancy is something that can ruin your life. And it affects both the girl and the boy. The boy has to struggle to provide for the girl and child despite being jobless. NB: If you have a comment or want the Education Times Open Voice team to visit your school, please send an email to education@newtimes.co.rw