29 Jan 2019

The Ministry of Youth Empowerment, Sports and Culture Development office in Tlokweng recently hosted a health fair to educate youth about teenage pregnancy as well as alcohol and substance abuse.

In her address, Mohumagadi Thandi Gaborone of Batlokwa said such fora created opportunities for youth to introspect.

Ms Gaborone said the youth should focus more on their studies to create a better future, than to engage in things that could destroy their lives.

She also said it was a pity that young people, even those at primary school, indulged in drugs and other substances as well as sexual activities, which led to teenage pregnancies.

Ms Gaborone noted that such behaviour could be changed if the youth understood their purpose in life, make informed decisions as well as to respect the elderly.

In her presentation, a general nurse, who is also a youth friendly service provider at the Tlokweng Main Clinic, Ms Kelebogile Keobake, urged the youth to take control of their lives by refraining from practices that could expose them to danger.

Ms Keobake said issues such as unplanned pregnancies could have negative consequences.

She said this often affected the young parent’s life in many ways, adding that unplanned pregnancies were an indicator of unprotected sex, which posed dangers of contracting STIs and HIV.

She therefore urged the youth to wait for the right time and become better citizens.

She also advised them to visit health facilities to learn more about these issues.

A representative from Nkaikela Youth Group, Ms Onneike Mackenzie, advised the youth to opt for abstinence.

In her remarks, Ms Lesego Ranko from Fokotsa Dino campaign said the youth engaged in alcohol in large numbers.

She said some pupild had an activity called Mozwane, where they hired combies during school vacations to drink alcohol and use drugs and end up having unprotected sexual intercourse.

The MYSC Tlokweng office also donated uniform and toiletries to one pupil at Kgosi-Kgosi Primary School. ENDs