Teen pregnancy grows in slums during pandemic

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Covid-19 has had devastating effects both locally and nationally in Kenya, a country where 34% of the total population lives in cities and, of this, almost three-quarters live in informal shanty towns, such as that of Kibera, the largest in Nairobi.

More information

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• African girls suffer from the pandemic twice

Mery (not her real name) lives there, one of the many teenagers who have become pregnant in times of pandemic.

The country has seen an increase since the lockdowns began in 2020. In the first five months of last year alone, nearly 152,000 young people under the age of 19 stayed in status in Kenya, according to government data.

“I used to go to St. Angelic High School.

I was in second.

I'm 16.

When the covid broke out, the schools closed, so we had to go home, ”says the minor in the video that accompanies this article.

Faced with this situation, the affected families must face the expenses that accompany adolescent pregnancy and the coronavirus aggravates the situation, as happened to Dorcas (fictitious name).

His sister was expecting a child and the family went through financial problems.

"I have had a very bad time since all this began," he acknowledges.

Although the Government of Kenya encourages child mothers to go back to school, much remains to be done to achieve that goal.

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