October 7, 2021
BY PROBLYN J. ALPHA
The United Methodist church (UMC) Sierra Leone with support from UMC Germany has schooled teachers on reproductive health education in schools. The four days training was held at the UMC boys primary school in the municipality of Koidu.
Speaking to our Correspondent on the purpose of the said training, the lead facilitator Saidu Francis Gbassa who also doubles as a United Methodist Church (UMC) school teacher in Bo, Said, every year, teenage pregnancy, HIV, and sexual violence claim the lives of many young sierra Leoneans.
He noted that it is against such backdrop that the UMC Mission embarked on reproductive health education in Schools in a bid to raise awareness among the school authorities and pupils so that, the high spate of young Sierra Leoneans especially the girls dying due to the highlighted menace will be totally reduced for the overall betterment of the children’s future in Kono District and the country as a whole.
Mr. Gbassa therefore encouraged the targeted teachers to serve as ambassadors in their various schools by replicating the knowledge gained during the four days training on reproductive health education, particularly the sexual rights of their pupils and colleague teachers.
The importance of raising awareness on the aforesaid issues Saidu Francis Gbassa said, cannot be over emphasized, as it will in no doubt let the children know the dangers and challenges ahead of them by teaching biological and social aspects of sexuality which would enable them to make wise decisions for a better future including the new school lessons training on the prevention of violence, body changes during puberty, the male and female reproductive system, contraceptives and family planning, HIV and sexually transmitted infections.
Meanwhile, some of the teachers who benefitted from the four days training expressed their profound gratitude to the united Methodist church (UMC) leadership in Sierra Leone and Germany for their timely initiative in training them on reproductive health education.
They described it as a step in the right direction and therefore assured their benefactors of their total commitment in replicating the knowledge gained while at the same time pleaded with them to continue with the training sessions in Kono and the other districts in Sierra Leone.