By Victoria Adepoju

To solve the menace of teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections, the Society for Family Health (SFH) has continued to train adolescent girls in eight states in the country.

Through one of its projects, the Adolescents 360 (A360), SFH targets girls aged 15-19 for sexuality education and awareness.

The A360 Project, which started in January 2016, trains adolescent girls and their mothers to enhance sexual and reproductive health and also to strengthen the relationship between mother and child, said Fatima Mohammed, Project Director, A360 Nigeria during one of the training in Lagos.

According to her, the A360 project has undertaken the task of counseling adolescent girls about their reproductive health, use of contraceptives to prevent unplanned pregnancies and their sexuality.

The project is running in Lagos, Ogun, Osun, Oyo, Edo, Delta, Kaduna and Nasarawa states. The centers are youth-friendly and providers are trained to enable the attendees open up to them.

Many sexually active adolescent girls are counselled and allowed to choose a method to prevent unplanned pregnancy and, ultimately, sexually transmitted infections. Each method is free.

Mohammed stated that youths need information that would better their lot. “Whether you give them or not, they look for it – through their phones and friends.

From there, they put it together, rightly or wrongly, they apply it. We found girls who don’t have sex but because they want to belong to the group of happening girls, they engage in sexual activities.

While these girls say they trust their mums, unfortunately, moms don’t talk to them; so we discuss with mothers to build their capacity to be able to talk to their daughters themselves about anything, including sexuality.

“Young people want immediate results to everything; this is what brain scientists call ‘immediacity’ usually without thinking about the consequences.

This has to do with their age and brain function at that time,” she said. The Project Director said the project is in three countries – Nigeria, Ethiopia and Tanzania.

“Our goal is to better the lot of adolescent girls through their reproductive health improvement in terms of pregnancy prevention and helping them achieve their goals,” she added.

Paulina Adeyemi, a young provider for A360 Project at the Youth Friendly Centre, Ikotun  in Igando-Ikotun Local Council Development Area (LCDA), Lagos, said after teaching the girls how to take care of themselves, many of them still ended up with infections since they were exposed to sex even at 14-15.

“What we do is to counsel them first and provide them with drugs which are free. Many girls feel that marriage ends poverty, which is wrong.

But when we talk to them, they see sense in it; but majority still want to be sexually active, so we allow them choose a pick-up method like pills, injectable or whatever they are comfortable with,” she said.

The young provider urged parents to become friends with their daughters and talk to them about sex and their reproductive organs, warning parents to desist from speaking in parables and to be more straightforward when addressing their children’s sexuality.

At the session in Igando, she advised the girls to avoid transactional sex where a man gives them money and presents  to have sex with them. Unplanned pregnancy is fatal to a girl’s health and future, she said.

The project officials also stressed that abstinence is the safest and surest way to prevent unplanned pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, urging the adolescent girls to wary of Greek gifts.

According to A360 Project, the five modern methods to prevent pregnancy for those who are sexually active are condoms, pills, injectable, implant and IUCD (for girls who are above 18).

After the love and life session, the girls were also taught different skills to enable them be independent. During the ‘skills for life’, the girls were taught vocational skills such as- bead making, soap making, Ankara craft, air freshener, among others.

At another session, parents of girls who want to choose a pick-up method were required to sign a consent form; while girls who are 18 and above were allowed to sign on their own.

Peace Anya, a young provider and counselor, advised parents to build a relationship with their girl child to enable the girls open up to them.

Mrs. Oladapo Olanrewaju, 50, said she brought her girls for counselling so that they would not be molested. “My daughters attend this centre; a mobiliser spoke to me and I brought my girls. The providers talk to us about how to relate with our girls so that they will not be molested.”

She however complained that the programme runs only in Alimosho and Egan.

“The reason I came here is that I have never heard of a programme where parents are educated on how to discuss sexuality with their children,” Mrs. Olaiya, another parent of one of the girls, said.

While talking to the girls, it was gathered that many of them were learning to be independent. “My mom got plastics and has even made stickers for my liquid soap,” Odutoye Sola, 15, said.

She however pointed out that her mum refuses to “answer questions on my reproductive organs and changes in my body. When I started attending the 9ja girls programme, I have been able to understand more about myself.”