The campaign is aimed at ensuring that women and girls give birth by choice and not by chance and that they should be given the opportunity to have the power to choose contraceptive of their choice. The campaign started on Monday 10th June to end on Saturday 6th July, 2019.
Speaking to journalists and other guests, Dr. Festus Ufuoma Omo-Obi, Country Director (MSSL) said “Teenage pregnancy is not an uncommon phenomenon, but it is the rate of teenage pregnancy within a country that turns it into a crisis. Several documents in-country have identified teenage pregnancy as a resounding problem, as there are approximately 41.1% of people under the age of 15 years in Sierra Leone (2015 Housing and Population Census) – the largest generation of young people ever. They must have access to sexual and reproductive health services, including family planning and the knowledge and skills necessary to make healthy, informed decisions about their lives.”
He added that Marie Stopes Sierra Leone believes that making family planning compulsory, the danger posed by teenage pregnancy and unsafe abortion will be averted.