Children with Physical Challenges Need Education Too

Its very disheartening to note that in most societies, children with physical challenges are among the most stigmatized and marginalized of all vulnerable groups. Such children are sidelined so much that they fail to acquire the necessary knowledge and skills as compared to other children.

For instance, in schools they lack support from teachers who perceive them as incapable and not worth teaching. This makes it difficult for them to cope and perform better in class. The end result of such tribulations is usually withdrawal from school.

On the same note, some academic institutions do not have user friendly materials or equipment for the physically challenged. This also becomes a challenged and a stumbling block to children with physical challenges to acquire some education.

According to the results of a survey that was conducted in 51 countries by UNICEF, only 51% of boys with physical challenges complete their primary school education while 61% of boys with no physical challenges complete their primary school education. A similar survey that was conducted by the World Health Organization (W.H.O) found that 42% of girls with physical challenges complete primary school as compared to 53% of girls who do not have physical challenges.

In Malawi for example, a child with some physical challenges is twice unlikely to attended school than a child who does not have a physical challenge.

Sadly still, studies have shown that the most affected are physically challenged children who are from poor families.

 Let Us All Remember that Disability is Not Inability

Youth Empowerment and its Benefits

Almost three quarters of the world’s population is comprised of youths and a greater number of these youths who are in the working-age population are unemployed. If these youths are empowered they could be part of the social capital and bring change to their designated communities. It is somehow impossible for them to market themselves and they need deliberate interventions for them to bring change to our societies.

There is need to facilitate the process of equipping the youths with entrepreneurial skills or promotion of youth cooperative and youth led savings and credit organizations. Furthermore, the youths could also be empowered through the strengthening of youth umbrella organizations as well as their networks at national level and integrate them with regional or global youth networks.

Societies can benefit in many ways if the youths are empowered. Another innovative way could be through the introduction of youth job fairs and exhibitions bringing all prospective employers from both the public and the private sector. If there could be such sessions whereby officials from the aforementioned sectors could talk to the youths linking training as well as skills development with jobs and in such a way youth dependency on government could be reduced. This could help to enhance social-economic development since the youth will have opportunities to put their natural endowments into creative and productive channels.

Empowering the youth economically is very advantageous  and helpful in reducing youth delinquency in societies as the youth will have something to do instead of just having excessive free time. This is a cheaper way to deal with crimes that are committed by the youths than opening a lot of reformatory centre’s. On top of that, societies will also deal with other social ills like drug abuse and political violence because politicians use unemployed youths to advance their political agendas. There’s need for increased communication with young men and women in families giving them enough space where the youths are valued, respected, encouraged and supported in their efforts to develop their personal capacities.

Youth empowerment translates itself into the well being of the next generation. It is the duty of all capable adults in the society to ensure that the youths are nurtured in a way that will make them productive to their various communities.

ENCOURAGE TEEN MOTHERS TO GO BACK TO SCHOOL

Teen-age pregnancies have now become a usual feature in our society. A lot of young girls are falling pregnant due to several contributing factors like the lack of knowledge on issues pertaining to their sexuality fused with peer pressure. However, it is sad to note that in scenarios whereby a male student impregnates a girl, it is the later who faces the consequences more than her partner.

Most teen mothers think that it is the end of everything so much that they rule out the possibility of going back to school. According to statistics from The Center of Disease Control and prevention, nearly 368,000 infants were born to females aged 15-19 years in the year 2010 alone. By implication, it means that the rate of girls who drop out of school because of early pregnancies within this age range is also high.

This is not an ideal way to go and there is need to encourage these young mothers to go back to school after breastfeeding. It is also very prolific to include such girls in Advocacy Groups. Advocacy groups help to reduce school dropout rates on top of reducing early pregnancies. This is done through public outreach activities and policy efforts including facilitation of School Sexual Education Programmes and health reforms.

In this regard, their fellow students, parents, community and religious leaders as well as all members of the society should be on the forefront to encourage these teen mothers to go back to school. The society should not in any way shun them but it should rather help to raise their esteem for them to make it in life. The young mothers really need to know and understand that all is not lost and in this endeavour all they need is guidance and support.

Once these teen mothers are sent back to school they will be able to support their kids without depending on other people. Thus, they will eventually be able to support their children’s education as well there by reducing the pressure on social safety nets.

We educate teen mothers, we educate the next generation as well.

Girl Power

A girl who marries late is not only more likely to stay in school, but is also more likely to work, invest and reinvest her income and become a lever for development. A girl who waits for a right time before she gets married empowers herself to have an opportunity of choosing whether, when and how often to have children.

In turn, her family thrives and she, as an individual also stands a better chance of overcoming pangs of poverty.

 Investing in young girls is a very good development. YONECO through the implementation of several projects is committed to enabling girls to expand their life choices, opportunities and protecting their rights as well for their personal development and that of their communities.

My plea to all stakeholders, teachers and community members is that they should empower girls and remember that girls are not merchandise but capable human beings with a lot of potential...

We Say Yes To Comprehensive Sexual Education!

Comprehensive sexual education is essential to enable young people to deal with their sexuality in a positive and responsible way. An estimated number of 2.2million adolescent girl in Africa reportedly become pregnant every year. This contributes to an increase in the number of young girls who drop out of school, high unemployment rate as well as vulnerability to violence and all this translates to the perpetuation of poverty as a matter of consequence.

Worse still, lack of information is greatly contributing to a rise in the spread of HIV. In 2010 alone, 2.6 million new HIV infections were recorded and 17% of the total number was filled up by cases of children aged 0- 14 years.

Parents, teachers, social workers and community members, it is time we educate the youth about sexuality.