All too often teenage girls come to the hospital for an ultrasound and find out they are pregnant. Girls becoming pregnant at 14 and 15 years old is a common occurrence. If it’s a 17 or 18 year old pregnant I feel like, “Oh good, you waited a few years before getting pregnant good job.” Lately, I’ve seen an increase in teen pregnancies thanks to the one month holiday the school kids had in August. Their isn’t much to do here in Karungu, its not like you can go to the movies, the mall, or a restaurant, so instead they spent time having sex. I’m convinced that if Karungu had some kind of entertainment pregnancy rates would drop dramatically!
The saddest part of this is that many of these pregnancies end in abortion. Staying in school and having a baby isn’t an option. A girl can’t breastfeed and attend classes, and baby formula is too expensive for most people living here. This is why you see a woman with a 7th grade education, and four kids by the age of 23. They get pregnant, drop out of school, and become a housewife for the rest of their lives. Even if the girl doesn’t go to school she may decide to abort because she can’t afford a baby. If she cant find food and shelter for herself how is she going to care for a child?
Upon finding out about their pregnancies many go to traditional healers (witchdoctors) in the community for an abortion. Oftentimes they are given poisonous herbs to kill the baby or it is manually extracted with unsterile instruments. In both situations we see girls return to the hospital with complications such as poisoning, hemorrhaging, or infection. (Side note: abortion is illegal in Kenya but the law isn’t enforced just like many other laws here.)
These girls are scared out of their minds when they discover they’re pregnant. They never want to reveal who the father is. Either they don’t know because they’ve been sleeping around, or they are afraid to tell because of what the father may do to them. Its not always consensual sex; uncles, brother-in-laws, classmates, and even school teachers are to blame in many cases. Yes, even teachers get school girls pregnant!
As these girls leave the ultrasound I just want to yell, “Your baby has a beating heart and fingernails. Please don’t kill it!”
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Hi Lauren:
I am writing a homily for the 29th Sunday which is World Mission Sunday and I want to use your story in my homily—living out Christ’s call to serve others particularly those who have no means to take care of themselves.
I would like some illustrations of what you have been doing:
- A few paragraphs on particular incidents with lots of details—vivid, picture-like, graphic. Names of folks you are you caring for, their illness, their background, their stories, what you’re doing for them, and the outcome both good and bad. I want them to be heartfelt and highly affective in nature. I want people to feel them as I preach them; I want them to be moved emotionally; I want them to have a change of heart and a change in the way they think and feel.
Not too much to ask. But you are doing great work that is life-changing for them and for you and I want your difference to make a difference in all the people who hear me preach on October 17 & 18.
If you could get back to me in about a week or so that would be about right.
I pray for you every day and I am so grateful for what you are doing. Few can and are willing to do what you are doing. Thank God for that. And remember, I had something to do with getting you there.
Thanks a million. This will mean a great deal to me, your mom, your family, and everyone who hears your stories.
Deacon Dave
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