A team of Maa girls in Narok County is moving around the area to offer guidance and counseling to teenage mothers and Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) survivors.
The group dubbed ‘‘Iselenken-e-Maa’’ meaning Maasai girls, are moving in schools and churches, giving hope to girls who could have been discouraged because of the retrogressive cultural rites that they have undergone.
The group’s Chairlady, Ms. Charity Memusi, said the move was triggered by the high rate of pregnancy and school drop-out in the County as pregnancy rate was ranked at over 40 per cent.
“The group was started in Trans Mara West Sub-county but has already reached out to hundreds of girls in Narok East and North Sub-counties. We are hoping to move around the whole County,” said Ms. Charity.
She reiterated that they partner with the Free Medical care team to offer pregnancy tests to the girls, antenatal and post-natal services among others.
“There are many girls who are already pregnant but they do not know. When the results appears positive, we offer guidance and counseling and incase it turns out negative, we encourage them to avoid sex,” he said, adding that the services are offered on a voluntary basis.
The group also sources for sanitary towels from well-wishers, who include traders, prominent farmers, and leaders among others. The towels are distributed to girls during the counseling sessions.
“We believe in our girls, we know they can become prominent people if they are encouraged to finish their education. Many drop out of school and prefer early marriages because they have given up in life,” said Memusi.
Narok has been leading in teenage pregnancies with over 5, 000 girls reported to have been impregnated in the year 2021, according to the data from the County Department of Health.
Source: Kenya News Agency