KENYA: “Reject Practices that are Offensive to Christian Spirituality,” Youths Advised
Sr. Jecinter Antoinette Okoth, FSSA
At a virtual conversation intended to inform young people on sexuality, early and unintended pregnancy during COVID-19 period, the youths have been urged to observe Christian morals and avoid ungodly acts.
The online session convened by the International Young Catholic Students (IYCS), a faith-based youth apostolate organization committed to the principles and values of Evangelization, Formation, Social Justice and Advocacy in its Education and Policy-oriented work, in collaboration with the Kenya Young Christian Students (YCS).
“As young people, you need to be guided by the social teachings of the Catholic Church. These are the pillars of our Christian life,” Dr. Wahome Ngare, member of the Kenya Catholic Doctors Association (KCDA) who was the main facilitator of the online conversation told the youths during the Saturday, August 1, session adding that, “you have to reject practices that are offensive to Christian Spirituality.”
Dr. Ngare reminded the youths that “life and the dignity of human person is the foundation of all the principles of the Catholic social teaching” and that youths should be aware that life is sacred and every person’s dignity must be respected and protected.
The Kenyan-born gynecologist and obstetrician warned the youths concerning sexuality and early pregnancy, urging them to have respect for each other knowing that “sex is a gift from God and is meant for procreation for those who are ready to be parents.”
“Remain safe till marriage and understand that our bodies are the temple of God,” Dr. Ngare a member of the Kenya Christian Professionals Forum (KCPF) cautioned the youths drawn from about 45 African counties including Malawi, Uganda, Kenya, Gambia, DRC Congo, Zimbabwe and Niger asking them to focus on “delivering their own souls and souls of the others.”
According to the outgoing IYCS Regional Coordinator Ms. Agathe Mossane who is Senegalese by nationality, the session was convened to “help tackle issues of sexuality which young people don’t talk about openly, especially with parents,” because of the “alarming number of teenage pregnancies during Covid-19 pandemic.”
In response to this concern, Dr. Ngare in an interview with AMECEA Online on Wednesday, August 5, stated that the high number of pregnancies given especially by the government of Kenya might have been “inflated to give room to the discussion of the Comprehensive Sexuality Education which will allow abortion in the country.”
He therefore asked the youths to be cautious with the type of information they surf from the internet and to avoid watching pornographic and sexual films.”
Ms. Mossane who has worked as the IYCS Regional Coordinator for four years and awaits handing over to new leadership said that many girls are losing chances of continuing with education because of early pregnancies. She promised more discussions for the youths on how to protect themselves.
“We will still engage and have more discussion through the social media platforms to keep on talking with students about these issues associated with human sexuality, to educate them on how to have peer to peer education,” Ms. Mossane disclosed.
