A story of a young girl from Manenzhe clinic in the Manenzhe village

This account was written by one of our midwifery volunteers during Flying for Life’s week-long outreach, at the end of 2023:

We observed that many of the people who came for a pap smear were young people, specifically teenagers. Many pregnant patients were also teenagers. Many of them claimed that loving their partners meant trusting them, and trusting them meant they could have unprotected sex because their partners confirmed that they were not cheating. Having a boyfriend seemed to confer higher status among these teenage girls.

One story stood out from the rest. This was the story of a young girl who had just turned 20. She entered the consultation room with a confused, unhappy, and downcast expression. She did not seem happy at all, unlike the other teenagers who came in pregnant or for a pap smear. We asked her, "What are you here for? pregnancy or pap smear?" She replied, "Pregnancy." She was nervous and not too proud of herself; it was obvious. She said it was her first time being pregnant. We reassured her, telling her not to worry and that we would help her, encouraging her to feel comfortable.

We started making small talk to lighten her mood, but she remained unresponsive and we couldn't even get a smile from her. She began to tell us that she had zero knowledge about sex education. She didn't know anything about prevention, falling pregnant, or the consequences of having unprotected sex. She was naïve and believed that love was all about having sex, without needing to question anything about it.

Her mother brought her to the clinic because she still didn't know what she should do when pregnant. She said, "Even if I had researched, I wouldn’t understand because I don’t go to school and have always had difficulties in learning." She was clueless and didn’t understand what we meant by blood pressure when we checked it. She and her mother understood very little.

She was shaking throughout the consultation, and we realised that she was also traumatised by everything happening in her life. Although she consented to sex with her partner, she did not fully understand what she was consenting to. Even in her twenties, she still lacked sufficient knowledge about sex and its consequences. The worst part was that her partner denied being the father of the child.

It might seem like the whole world has access to sex education, but this is not the case. There are many young girls and boys living with zero knowledge about sex in these villages, which is why teenage pregnancies are increasing along with the spread of other sexually transmitted infections. This experience was an eye-opener for us, revealing how many people we need to reach and the importance of continuing our work more frequently.

People in rural communities are the most vulnerable and too often forgotten when it comes to receiving quality health care services. It takes months for them to be diagnosed and they wait years to receive the necessary surgeries.  Thanks to our partners, volunteers, and donors for being part of the projects to restore people's lives in remote rural areas.

This story stirred many emotions in the team, anger and frustration being the top stirrers. At Flying for Life, we want to do more. We call government personnel to take up responsibility for our nation’s youth. Until then, it comes down to us, citizens, to do more. If you are able to fund further outreaches, partner on the outreaches, or volunteer your time and skill, we request your assistance.

Thank you.

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Until our next flight,

Flying for Life

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