African young girls are always on
go at earlier age of about 9 years. Loving blindly without taking into account consequences: The argument over abortion is rarely waged with much reference to reason. Our courage and determination usually make as illogical. When issue at stake is whether to legalize it, many argue moral issue rather than simple legal question of who should make decision. The story I am narrating avoids much of this debate and in steady homes in on decision that are actually being taken young African women who have had unplanned pregnancies
The choices, ranging from quick abortions to fatal poisoning and keeping baby. Are always made with little outside help. One of women interviewed decided to give mothered a try!
The pressure society places on young women who have children out of wedlock is enormous. Because abortions are virtually taboo, they decision to keep baby or terminate pregnancy is often made unaided. O what extent then does this pressure and panicked decision-making lead to unnecessary abortion?
When a young unmarried girl discovers that she is pregnancy, she is often forced to struggle with difficult questions about life, responsibility and sometimes death, should she keep baby or have an abortion? Should reaction of baby’s father have any bearing on this decision? Should she tell her parents and risk losing their emotional and financial support? Is she ready for devastating effect having a baby or an abortion will have on her life?
Now, in cases of like making right choices easy and neither is leaving with decisions whether they are right or wrong.
Here are what three of many interviewed women had to say: ANNA SAMSON (16) a clergyman’s daughter brought up under certain Christian family had been looking at her underwear for a week now wondering whether her period would come. She suspected that she was pregnant but was hoping against hope that she was not! With no source of income to support a growing child, her mind was almost made up as to what she would do should be confirm her suspicious.
“ I decided to have an abortion, and opted not to tell father of child” She says. He was a student and had no job and prospects and she felt that it would not help situation in any way had he known. “ Once I made my mind.” She calls “All I could think of was how soon I could end whole thing.”
She did not want her parents back home to find out. And with a help of a friend (School- mate) she managed to raise Tsh 35000(USD 39) to pay for secret operation, which was successful. She doesn’t think that she did anything wrong, given situation she was in.
“If we dead and slipped into oblivion, may be fate would be kinder.” This is thought that first came into mind of 18-years old that first KABULA MAKOYE before she killed her two-day-old baby girl by throwing her into a pit. She felt that she could no longer bear cruelty of her for having given birth out of wedlock.
“My mother was abusing me every time with claims that I have disgraced them. Recall Kabula who dropped out of school, got pregnant while working as a barmaid in Mwanza town Tanzania. She was not ready fro baby because of poverty surrounded their family because of poverty surrounded their family and because she could not tell who baby’s father was (as a barmaid she had almost six casual boyfriends) After killing her baby she decided to poison herself, and was caught on process by her father.
“I think I am pregnant” 19 years old MARIA OLARE said to her boyfriend early in 2001. She was apprehensive because every morning, she wakeup feeling tired and sick. She was not only one suspected pregnancy; three months Into it, her mother Susan sensed that something was wrong.
Being eldest girl in her family, she feared that she would be accused of setting a bad example for her younger sister. And how would her strict father react? “We were great friends, but when he learned of it from his wife that their elder daughter was pregnant, he was speechless. Completely changed.” She says.
Although she felt guilt, she believed that her father’s reaction was excessive. Not once did she consider terminating pregnancy.
These are but a few tough choices always being taken blindly by our sister daily following unplanned pregnancies. Reasoned discussion of these issues should make choices a little clearer for girls forced to make these tough decisions.
PENURY AMID PLENTY Who owns our natural resources? Why people are so poor and desperate in rich Lake Victoria Basin
Lake Victoria (Nyanza as called by local people) is second biggest Lake in world and father to Egyptian riches, 40 years ago it had over 320 old fish species; now it possesses only eight species1 It’s basin is potentially riches region in East Africa and occupied by so poor people, it’s environment in such deep criss1 Why?
The Lake’s resource wealth is further increased by fact that its soils are among most fertile in East Africa. The varied and rich cultures of its peoples, its breath taking scenery and abundant wildlife and thorough vastness of Lake make it potentially a prime tourism destination.
Factor in region’s capacity for agricultural variety output, industry, hydro- electricity, gold and other mineral deposit in such places as Tarime, Serengeti, Musoma, Geita and Kahama in Tanzania, and Macalder in Kenya. And again, you are looking at richest region in East Africa. Yet, The people of this great Lake; Luo, sukuma, Haya, Baganda etc. are among poorest in world. Official statistics put poverty level at an average of 49% of East African population. Malnutrition is wider spread, high child mortality, protein deficiency in this protein rich Zone. Add to this, economy, social and environmental cost of deadly HIV/AIDS, whose incidence in Lake world and a stern picture begins to look very sad.
There are many activities taking place daily in and around lake: agriculture, Fishing, Irrigation, Mining etc. But all in vain! The people remain poor amid all riches; they are yet to enjoy fruits of being granted with this golden prize. Most are blaming their governments for not implementing effective strategies towards basin development.
Waste in Lake Victoria basin is a two-way highway. *Flowing down into Lake is waste and high population generated upstream and taken through by twenty big feeder rivers (10 in Kenya, 6 in Tanzania and 4 in Uganda). All these and other smaller ones drain their contents into Lake, taking with them same severe disease. Untreated sewage from municipalities, rural towns and village, toxic effluent from industries and sediments (which is carried in huge tonnage daily)
