Teenage pregnancy refers to girls becoming pregnant when they are below 18 years of age. This is when they are supposed to be in primary school or high school.
Every week there is a story of a girl dropping out of school.
A lot of young people trust their peers and will easily be influenced to engage in sexual encounters as a way of belonging to a group and to look cool.
Teenagers often do not have the knowledge needed to make informed and responsible decisions about whether or not to engage in sexual activity that can alter their life. They result to incorrect information from friends, videos, movies.
Due to poverty, girls are forced by their parents to sell their bodies as a source of revenue for the family, just to cater for their basic needs.
Many parents have busy lives that prevent them from being around their young teenagers to guide them make good decisions on issues such as sex. They therefore turn to friends for direction on whether or not to have sex, resulting in misinformation and possible teen pregnancy.
Teenage girls can be abused or raped by a stranger or person who the girl trusts like a male relative, a teacher and domestic worker.
When you are sexually abused or raped, immediately report to a grown up you trust and also to the police.
Some communities in Kenya marry off young girls from age 10 to men old enough to be their parents. At this tender age, these girls have no exposure to any form of sexual education and they have no clue of what their husbands expect from them.
This includes saying no to anything you feel uncomfortable with. Whether it's refusing to having a boyfriend, having any kind of physical contact, having sex there is nothing wrong with standing up for yourself.
The only 100% safe way to avoid pregnancy is to not have sex, so you shouldn't feel stupid for not wanting to go through with something.
If you need guidance talk to your parents and teachers.
Dont do things just because your friends are. Always think about every decision you make.
You can learn this from your parent, teachers or the church.
