GRPA continues efforts to reduce teen pregnancy

Nov 08, 2015 News

Under a new logo and a revamped mission statement, the Guyana Responsible Parenthood Association (GRPA) continued its focus on teenage pregnancy during its 42nd Annual General Meeting (AGM).

Dr. George Norton

The AGM, which was held on Friday at Cara Lodge, Georgetown, saw participation from both the GRPA executive body and its youth arm. Also present were representatives from the Ministry of Public Health, including Minister George Norton and UNICEF Country Representative, Marianne Flach.
According to GRPA Executive Director, Reverend Patricia Sheeratan-Bisnauth, the latest AGM is the second year in a row where reducing teenage pregnancy was the thematic focus.
Declaring that the meeting was “a time of celebration”, Sheeratan-Bisnauth shared that the GRPA works under the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) framework to reduce teenage pregnancy.
Furthermore, GRPA President, Dr. Karen Boyle, explained that the body had achieved a lot in a year when it came to educating youths about teenage pregnancy. Dr. Boyle noted that Guyana has the second highest rate of teenage pregnancy in the Western Hemisphere and attributed this phenomenon to socio-economic factors in Guyana. Such factors, she said, include the culture of early marriage and rampant poverty.
“The long and short of it is that we all recognise that there are consequences and the consequences are usually negative for young persons to become pregnant. Therefore, it is imperative that all of us become aware and knowledgeable of the facts and the information,” she said.
She said that all members of the family must understand the consequences of teenage pregnancy.
She said, too, that GRPA works to help those who desperately need a helping hand. However, GRPA also needs a helping hand, she added.
According to Dr. Boyle, the organisation cannot do it alone. It requires support on all levels, from the government right down.
GRPA has been bolstering the public healthcare system through advocacy, training of personnel, treatment of vulnerable populations, youth empowerment and, of course, its sexual reproductive health services.
Dr. Boyle also noted that sex is a taboo subject in Guyana. Too often adults believe that teaching children about sex will make them want to engage in the activity, she said. However, she deemed this belief a myth and emphasised the need for “friendly spaces” where youths can speak openly about sex and its implications.
She said that GRPA also understood the importance of youth empowerment and has a number of young people working along with it to educate other youths through a peer education programme.

A section of the audience at the GRPA Annual General Meeting.

She shared that GRPA’s vision is that “all people in Guyana live in an environment where they are free to make healthy choices about their sexuality and well-being and to access quality sexual reproductive health services.”
She said that the body has a new logo and a new mission statement, which states that GRPA is the leading provider and enabler of sexual and reproductive health services and an advocate of sexual and reproductive rights.
Public Health Minister, Dr. George Norton, emphasised the need for teenage pregnancy to be urgently addressed. The Minister said that strategies are to be undertaken by the Ministry to tackle the issue.
Among the strategies outlined were age-appropriate education, improved access to contraceptives, and partnership with mass media.
The Minister further noted the case of 17-year-old Nikacia Allen, who recently died after a third caesarean section delivery. Allen would have had her first child at 13. Norton said that cases such as these personally affected him. He shared that he had witnessed the teen’s post-mortem.
He said that Guyana’s maternity mortality rate is too high.
“When we hear things like this, we have no one else to blame,” Norton stressed. He said too that the school system must play an integral role in educating youths on sex.
“This situation has become a national crisis…We all have a role to play,” he emphasised.
The recent AGM was held under the tagline “Be Proud! Be Responsible! Be Protective!” and saw the GRPA’s youth arm, Youth Advocacy Movement (YAM) presenting their #BodyBoss Campaign. This campaign is aimed at empowering youths to make informed choices when it comes to sex.