By MN Reporter

Tunaweza Empowerment Organisations targets to reach over 4,000 girls in Migori county with sanitary towels and counselling services to curb high cases of sexual abuse during Covid 19 lock down.

Th organisation through a group of girls in high school and colleges have formed a peer-to-peer group to help tackle teen pregnancy and marriage during long holidays.

Marion Seje, the group’s leader, said their campaign was occasioned by the rise in cases of teenage pregnancies which she said was at an alarming rate in in the country.

“We target at least 100 girls across each of all 40 wards in Migori, we also hold talk with boys,” Seje told Migori News over the phone on Sunday.

She said so far they have distributed towels in Rongo, Kuria East and Kuria West sub-counties “with anther phase of roll to other areas soon.”

Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha extended the school opening dates to January next year.

Seje said the group is drawn from both high school and colleges students who take front part in the distribution.

“We are a peer to peer group which is able to bring girls together despite schools being closed, apart from the pads we have interactive session on challenges facing members” she said.

“We have been shocked by the high cases of teen pregnancies and cases of sexual assault which caused us to form the group to help ourselves as youths,” she said.

Sharon Odongo, the group’s coordinator in Rongo noted the it was regrettable that teenagers were engaging in unprotected sexual activities amongst themselves, a move that greatly contributed to the high cases of early pregnancies.

“We not only seek to issue sanitary towels but aims at cultivating behaviour change amongst teenagers. It’s regrettable that youths turn to house parties while others book lodges with the elderly,” said Sharon.

The two said while they need support from parents, public administrators and police to tackle the menace, they thought of starting their own initiative.

Sophie Odumo, a child activist in Rongo faulted most parents of abdicating their roles of providing moral guidance to their children.

“Teachers were playing a huge role in moral upbringing of these children and with the closure of schools, parents ought to have been in the forefront in instilling morality in 5heir children, a role most have shied off from,” Odumo noted.