Family planning efforts in Migori boosted as teen pregnancy rates surge

Teenage pregnancies have been on the rise in Migori County, prompting health practitioners to promote family planning as a potential solution.

Recent health data from 2023 shows that teenage pregnancies account for 19% of all pregnancies in the county.

Contraceptive usage among women of reproductive age stands at 69%, thanks in part to efforts by NGOs like Amref, Lwala Community Alliance, and government-backed programs like the Beyond Zero Campaign, which have helped increase uptake from 61% in 2021 to 69% in 2023.

Despite these gains, family planning (FP) methods still face resistance due to community stigma and misconceptions.

Critics claim that FP leads to health risks, and infertility, and encourages sexual immorality among teenagers.

Irene Oyuga, a health practitioner at Midoti Health Facility in Suna East, highlights that these myths have prevented many from accessing critical FP services.

“Family planning is safe and scientifically proven not to cause harm or infertility,” Oyuga stated, adding that her team has been actively educating the community to dispel these misconceptions.

Oyuga noted that the facility has launched educational campaigns targeting adolescents to inform them about the benefits of family planning and to provide accurate information that counters prevailing myths.

Training health practitioners to guide young people on FP methods is part of this outreach, which has also integrated FP services that have contributed to lowering maternal deaths among teenage mothers by preventing complications such as uterine rupture and postpartum bleeding.

“The womb of a teenage girl is not biologically ready to carry a child, and such pregnancies lead to high risks like uterine rupture and cervical tears that can result in fistula,” Oyuga explained.

Through programs like Therapeutic Crisis Intervention (TCI), run by Johns Hopkins’ JHPIEGO, youths in Migori are receiving sensitization on family planning and reproductive health services. TCI has also equipped health promoters with tools to raise awareness effectively.

Oyuga urged health partners to focus on school-going teens, especially during the long holiday period, to counter the stigma associating family planning with immortality.

“Schools are closed for over two months, and it’s everyone’s responsibility to protect teenagers from early pregnancies,” she said in a press interview in Migori.

Community members like Lydia Atieno, a 21-year-old mother from Suna East, have seen firsthand the positive impact of family planning.

Atieno, who had to drop out of school to care for her child, shared that FP methods have helped her and her husband avoid unplanned pregnancies, easing their financial burden.

Similarly, Maryanne Merix, a 21-year-old student, credits her mother’s guidance on FP for helping her complete school without the challenge of an early pregnancy.

For some, the experience has been more challenging. Irene Awino, a 23-year-old who became pregnant in Form Two, managed to resume school and now mentors teenagers as a social worker.

Her use of FP has allowed her to plan her family size carefully, a choice she hopes to inspire in others.

Dorothy Minyiri, Director of the Community Resource and Empowerment Organisation (CREAMO), noted that hidden contraceptive use often breeds mistrust in relationships.

She encouraged open communication between partners to find an agreeable and healthy approach to FP.

CREAMO has been supporting young mothers by educating them on FP and providing referrals where needed.

Minyiri emphasized the need for NGOs and development partners to tailor their FP initiatives to the specific needs of their target audience (ages 14–24) to ensure the effective uptake of contraceptives among young people.