By Purity Nthiana
In Kenya 1 in 3 adolescents struggle with mental health. These problems hinder the flourishing of young people, leading to a poor quality of life, limited career prospects, increased risk of risky behaviors, and lifelong social and economic impairment.
This issue is particularly urgent in Kenya, where half of the population is 19 years old or younger. Unfortunately, Kenyan youths often face barriers to accessing help due to structural and systemic issues.
With the high cost of living, many parents struggle to put food on the table. This means educating these adolescents will be a challenge. Young people especially from rural communities already come from a challenging environment.
Many face issues such as sexual violence, abuse and neglect from family, lack of menstrual products, FGM, and child marriage which lead to teen pregnancies. We know how these challenges can interfere with learning and result in low academic achievement. These adolescents also take the easy way out by substance abuse or even dropping out of school.
The question is, how will schools help children find positive ways to express feelings of fear and sadness? Every child has his or her way of expressing emotions. Lack of awareness of mental health makes it difficult for families or individuals to identify and find ways of treatment, which sometimes is taken as a spiritual problem and not a health concern.
The schools should stay prepared to support a wide range of mental health needs of their students. Counseling in schools is necessary which also includes access to Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) which enables the development of self-esteem and respect for human rights, promotes gender equality, and enhances skills for positive decision-making.
Effective sexual and reproductive health education entails safe decision-making and the right to live healthy and productive lives. Sexuality education to children and young people provides information about sexuality and SRHR, and enhances positive values and attitudes towards their health including mental health.
Miss Nthiana is a sexual and reproductive health advocate at NAYA Kenya
