Project Moves To Stop Teenage Pregnancy, Others

THE Convener of Project Smile Africa, who is also a Prime Time News Anchor, Adesewa Josh, has called on various stakeholders in the girl-child education to support, inspire and mentor young Nigerian girls in the realisation of their dreams.

Josh made the call at the Talk2urteen Campaign, which held recently. She said given the increasing number of school dropouts and the incessant cases of teenage pregnancies, there was urgent need to continually engage young teen girls especially girls at home, in schools and at the grassroots on the importance of getting good education.

She said the main objective of the project is to support and inspire the girl-child, encouraging them to steer clear of adolescent pregnancy, which is the number one killer of teenage girls worldwide, which is more rampant in developing countries, including Nigeria.

While encouraging the girls, she called on them to set premium on their education by focusing on their studies and to steer clear of adolescent pregnancy.

According to Josh, young teenage girls are more vulnerable to teenage pregnancy if not properly trained, mentored and supported with the right information. She said this could substantially reduce their chances towards developing their dream and securing a bright future for themselves.

Josh who is presently practicing with Africa’s best TV of the year, Channels Television, explained that herself and her team know that adolescent girls hold the key to a world free of poverty.

“We believe in the future of girls and the fact that if given the right tutelage, they have the power to unlock the innate potentials resident in them. We have a team of professional volunteers across Africa who are all blazing the trail in their countries and have decided to team up and invest in the life of the nation’s teenage girls in order to encourage them to pursue their dream. As professional volunteers, we are open to more volunteers interested in leading the initiative in their countries”.

Josh said the project, officially launched last year, started with a visit to the Ikeja Police Barracks to cater to over a thousand kids, saying the positive outcome of that launch, had since led the team to embark on a five-year campaign called Talk2urteen to create awareness about the dangers of adolescent pregnancy, and engage the girls in different communities and secondary schools on appropriate sex education.

This year’s Talk2urteen Campaign kicked off with over 400 secondary school girls present, while the Talk2urteen team of professional volunteers engaged the girls in meaningful conversation about sex, health, dangers of adolescent pregnancy, and on the importance of education among others.