In Nigeria, most adolescents and young people are vulnerable to coersion, low self esteem, early sexual initiation/unintended pregnancy, unsafe abortion, abuse, substance abuse, trafficking etc because they lack the agency to make good decisions. This situation is worsened by the prevalent and extremely poor Parent-Child communication situation in families and homes, mostly because of ignorance on its importance on the part of the parents and sometimes because parents simply don’t know how to initiate these conversations which leaves young people without a safe space to ask questions that bothers them regarding their bodies, relationships, values, abuse, menstrual management etc. This situation creates a dependence on false information from equally uninformed peers to help them figure out life, often leading to life long damaging consequences.
Anneozeng Ogozi Aid Foundation (AOAF) recognizes this challenge and through its SAPEK program has started a series of sensitisation outreaches to vulnerable girls and boys in schools and communities where we create a safe space for adolescents and young people to unlearn false information and harmful practices and learn factual information necessary to navigate teenage experiences and position them to grow into healthy and positive minded young men and women.
The AOAF team visited Government Secondary School Kubwa in the FCT to sensitise the students on life skills like friendship, peer pressure, sex education, decision making & consequences, STIs prevention, assertiveness & refusal skill, bullying, human rights, sexual violence and reporting mechanisms available.
It was an information packed session and the students participated fully in the conversations and asked lots of personal questions which the AOAF team provided factual responses to.
The importance of safe spaces for adolescents and young persons (boys and girls) cannot be over emphasized and the Anneozeng Ogozi Aids Foundation is fully committed to this cause.