In Seychelles, teenage pregnancy is an alarming issue. The rates are continuously increasing yet the authorities refuse to distribute condoms or tell young people how to use them.
This has been implemented in schools in other countries and proven to be efficient. Why not Seychelles?
It is forbidden to distribute condoms at educational institutions despite the fact we are all very aware that students are having sex.
It is impossible to stop underage sex, so we should provide students with the necessary precautionary measures.
But in Seychelles society, people generally avoid the subject of young people's sexuality, even in schools. Many teachers (including personal and social education teachers) refuse to talk about it. There is a tendency to think that sexuality is shameful.
This leads to problems; often students do not know enough so they either make things up or they remain ignorant.
Some concerned parents tackle the issue at home but others avoid bringing the subject up altogether, hoping that teachers at school will talk to their children about it instead (they don't).
This is where peer to peer education comes in. We understand that young people are much more at ease confiding in friends of the same age. Talking to adults about their problems can be challenging or sometimes misinterpreted, so young people tend to keep things to themselves.
Peer education helps to overcome the barrier of miscommunication. Youths are also more likely to take advice from others their age; empowering young people with accurate and safe information not only helps that particular individual but also helps other youths with whom they will communicate these facts.
I am the project officer for the Seychelles' Youth Action Movement (YAM), which is a youth group focusing on sexual and reproductive health. YAM has four sub-programmes: peer education, edu-tainment, sports and spirituality.
We have accomplished a lot since our launch in March and we expect to improve continuously. YAM has participated in important national projects such as the National Youth Forum outreach at the Seychelles University where we recruited several young professionals.
The most memorable thing about my work happens at every outreach that the YAM does. Whenever a youth is aware of his/her HIV status, whenever a youth inquires about pregnancy, STIs, Aids or drugs – this is when I am most pleased because I know that as peer educators, we are accomplishing our duty.
Service providers should be supportive of young people, and deliver proficient and youth-friendly services. They should also build platforms that can welcome young people's ideas, so they are taken into account for strategic decisions.
I would also like to see a review of school syllabus and programmes, as well as the teaching methods and ability of personal and social education lecturers.
Anaël Bodwell is project officer for Seychelles Youth Action Movement's peer education programme for sexual and reproductive health
