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Teenage pregnancy in Kavango at 34 percent
RUNDU – The results of a study on the teenage pregnancy rate in the Kavango Region conducted by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) last year, were released on Wednesday. The results were released by Kavango governor Maurus Nekaro on behalf of Health Deputy Minister Petrina Haingura at Rundu.

The study revealed that the teenage pregnancy rate in the Kavango Region was double the national average, standing at 34% among the 15- to 19-year-old age group.

The national average teenage pregnancy rate is 15%.

Presenting the findings, USAID technical advisor on HIV and AIDS Dr Mbayi Kangudie said in sub-Saharan Africa, the main drivers of teenage pregnancy were poverty and a lack of education.

According to last year’s study, 91% of pregnancies among young women in the Kavango Region were unwanted. The study found that 98% of young people were informed about contraceptives, but only 8.7% of them used it.

Causes
The majority of those responsible for impregnating the young girls were workers, schoolmates, teachers, construction workers and Namibian Defence Force (NDF) members. The negative attitude of nurses, who allegedly victimise girls whenever they go to health centres seeking contraceptives, was also found to have contributed to the high number of teenage pregnancies in the region. Kangudie said the study found that condom use in the Kavango Region was very low at 36%.