Statistics in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) show that 21 million adolescents aged 15–19 years get pregnant each year, and approximately 50 per cent of the pregnancies are unintended. It may probably therefore not be surprising to learn that 20,000 teenagers get pregnant each year in Rwanda, according to the Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion. ALSO READ: Rwanda to use UNESCO model to reduce teenage pregnancies For comparison, take the example of Kenya, which is a middle-income country. Well over 200,000 adolescents aged between 10 and 19 get pregnant annually. In 2021, the number was over 300,000. The scale in numbers may differ depending on the country, but the depth of the problem is the same in how it often manifests in the girls’ lives, their families, and the national economy. Teenage mothers are much more likely to drop out of school to care for their children, limiting their job opportunities and earning potential. And, as studies also show, teenagers who become parents are also more likely to come from and remain in poverty. They may struggle to support themselves and their children, perpetuating the cycle of poverty across generations. The adolescents also often face higher risks of complications during pregnancy and childbirth, putting a strain on already limited healthcare resources. This impacts the national economy, even as many of them often grow up in poverty to give back to the economy. ALSO READ: Gatsibo records significant decrease in teen pregnancy These are only some of the implications and, underlying them, are gender norms that are enforced by strong social sanctions and influenced by religion, culture, and traditions. This understanding of the issues continues to inform policy to arrest the problem, of which there are many government and non-governmental interventions, ranging from community engagement to media campaigns and youth-friendly health services. Though there is evidence of the impact of the interventions, it is a testament to the depth and complexity of the problem that the numbers should keep rising with each passing year. The more the interventions therefore the better to tackle the problem from every possible angle. The just-announced project to translate into Kinyarwanda a toolkit with the self-descriptive title “Supporting Parent-child Communication on Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights” adds to the arsenal of the existing interventions. The importance of the manual cannot be gainsaid, aiding as it will the discussion of a subject not often mentioned in the family. It will help parents, guardians, and caregivers overcome the cultural mores that make it difficult to openly talk about sex with their children, especially with adolescents. It is targeting adolescents with separate age-specific discussions for 10-13-year-olds, 14-16-year-olds and 17-19-year-olds and it may be just what is needed by bringing the fight inside the home. The newspaper report announcing it doesn’t give much detail about it, and the MIGEPROF website didn’t yield much about the manual, which is a collaboration between the government and the UN cultural and education agency, UNESCO. But going by the title, it bears a striking semblance to a Zimbabwean manual targeting the family and children in similarly aggregated age groups as the Rwanda one. It might also be an adaptation from similar others around the continent, which is a good thing. The Zimbabwean manual, titled “Let’s chat! Parent-Child Communication on Sexual and Reproductive Health”, seeks to address challenges that many parents face in discussing with young people about relationships, development and sex. Parents and Guardians are their children's first and primary sexuality educators, it reminds the user, but they are often left without guidance on how to effectively engage with their children and adolescents on the topic. There are both immediate and long-term improvements in sexual and reproductive health for the adolescent and relational benefits for both the parent and the adolescent. These benefits, it further explains, extend beyond the family environment to the community as a whole by providing for healthier, more stable family units and individuals. The manual, which countries around Africa might do well to borrow a leaf, places the parent as the entry point in communicating sexual and reproductive health and rights with their children. It aptly begins with a discussion on culture under the persuasive heading of “You, Your Family and your Culture” before launching into values and understanding oneself targeting adolescents in this particular case. It also delves into alcohol and substance abuse as well as sexually transmitted infections and sexual and gender-based violence, a universal subject that one also hears a lot about in Rwanda in trying to address the problem. If the promise should hold for the Rwanda manual, it will be another prong adding more edge to the various ongoing interventions in the country. The only thing is that it should accept the reality that adolescents are engaging in sex and positively explore the sticky subject of adolescent contraceptives.
