“Forget family planning and focus on studies”

The two schools in Magau village, Sinugani Secondary and Magau Primary, received words of wisdom from the manager of the Madombidzha Clinic, Ms Maria Munonde.

Munonde was invited to address the pupils on health aspects for youths, particularly teenagers, in a world where children are faced with challenges such as drug abuse, crime and teenage pregnancies. “We are so exposed to a wide range of challenges and problems which further affect us as a society,” she said. “One serious problem is the spread of the growing volume of child pregnancy cases.”

She added that having a child when one was still a pupil affected the pupil's well-being, because she might lose focus on her studies since she had to look after a new life. “I have noted with dismay cases where pupils were so proud of being teenage mothers. Some of them even boast about being mothers and say that it was good having a child or children while they were still children themselves.”

Munonde said that she saw no fun in the issue of children who prided themselves on being mothers when they were still children who needed to enjoy childhood. “I have heard cases of teenagers who sneered at their peers that they were barren as they were neither pregnant nor had a child,” she said. She also added that pupils must not use their family's poor background as an excuse for being involved in a sexual relationship in order to supplement childhood necessities such as food, clothes and money.

“You are only a child,” she said. “You must bear in mind that you can't handle school, childhood, life and motherhood at one and the same time.”

The principal of Sinugani Secondary School, Mr Sonnyboy Masuka, said that Munonde's words were life-affirming. “Her message was clear and we believe that our pupils had learned a thing or two from her words,” he said. “We can't pretend that the issue of teenage pregnancies should be taken as a normal aspect of life. Our children need to focus on studying and only start with family planning once they finish school.”

News - Date: 20 March 2017

Tshifhiwa Mukwevho

Tshifhiwa Given Mukwevho was born in 1984 in Madombidzha village, not far from Louis Trichardt in the Limpopo Province. After submitting articles for roughly a year for Limpopo Mirror's youth supplement, Makoya, he started writing for the main newspaper. He is a prolific writer who published his first book, titled A Traumatic Revenge in 2011. It focusses on life on the street and how to survive amidst poverty. His second book titled The Violent Gestures of Life was published in 2014.

Email: [email protected]