Sexual Reproductive Health
Over a sunny weekend at Mjimpya Soccer field, more than 250 community members gathered for a Community Awareness Event hosted by a local non-profit organization. Children had vuvuzelas, youth played drums, and women danced elegantly.
During the event, a woman spoke with her neighbor, who was part of the Binti Yetu program, a girls' initiative by the non-profit. They discussed girls' access to sexual reproductive health. The woman thought that menstrual education should be private, as it was in the past, and believed that teaching young people about puberty and reproductive health encouraged early sexual activity.
Surprisingly, the neighbor was a qualified primary school teacher. This revelation led to the realization that some teachers lacked knowledge about sexual reproductive health and rights (SRHR). So, the organization decided to educate the teachers.
This insight led to expanding the Binti Yetu program to five more schools. The organization successfully trained six teachers on SRHR, the Binti Yetu Curriculum, child safeguarding, and how to identify and report gender-based violence (GBV) cases to five schools. One of the teachers, who initially had a negative view of SRHR, changed her perspective after the training. She has now become a strong advocate for sexual and reproductive health and rights education in the community.
All trained teachers have shared this knowledge with over 299 young girls in the Binti Yetu program, benefiting a total of 569 girls this year.
This initiative is a step towards ensuring that all girls have access to their rights and sexual reproductive health education. It helps young girls make informed decisions about their bodies before engaging in sexual activities, promoting a healthier and more informed community.
