German government supports OYO
31 March 2021 | Education
The German Ambassador to Namibia Herbert Beck and Dr Philippe Talavera, director of the Ombetja Yehinga Organisation (OYO), signed a funding agreement for OYO’s “Girls in schools” project valued at N$1.3 million.
Girls in schools is a project to encourage girls who enrol in schools in the Kavango East and West regions to fulfil their right to education and complete their school years by addressing obstacles such as child marriage and teenage pregnancy.
In the past few years the issue of child marriage has raised concern. Poor educational attainment, poor sexual and reproductive health outcomes, physical, emotional and sexual abuse, deprivation of childhood experiences and abandonment by husbands are some of the reported consequences of early marriage. Moreover, children who are married do not finish their education.
The situation worsened in 2020 with Covid-19 and extensive closure of schools, with statistics revealing that 522 girls in Kavango West and 520 girls in the Kavango East fell pregnant in 2020, with an additional 4 426 and 2 951 learners dropping out of school.
“Educating the girl child is extremely important,” says Dr Talavera. “To this end, thanks to the German government’s support, we will implement a series of activities in selected schools in the two regions to make sure we reduce the number of teenage pregnancy and school dropouts between April and December 2021. We will also put the issue of child marriage onto the agenda.”
Girls in schools is a project to encourage girls who enrol in schools in the Kavango East and West regions to fulfil their right to education and complete their school years by addressing obstacles such as child marriage and teenage pregnancy.
In the past few years the issue of child marriage has raised concern. Poor educational attainment, poor sexual and reproductive health outcomes, physical, emotional and sexual abuse, deprivation of childhood experiences and abandonment by husbands are some of the reported consequences of early marriage. Moreover, children who are married do not finish their education.
The situation worsened in 2020 with Covid-19 and extensive closure of schools, with statistics revealing that 522 girls in Kavango West and 520 girls in the Kavango East fell pregnant in 2020, with an additional 4 426 and 2 951 learners dropping out of school.
“Educating the girl child is extremely important,” says Dr Talavera. “To this end, thanks to the German government’s support, we will implement a series of activities in selected schools in the two regions to make sure we reduce the number of teenage pregnancy and school dropouts between April and December 2021. We will also put the issue of child marriage onto the agenda.”
Classifieds