Being an Advocate for Family Planning Has Changed My Life —and My Future

July 05, 2017Meet Abou, a youth ambassador in Guinea who knows firsthand the power of contraception —not just for family planning, but for future planning. en fran çaisWhen I was in high school, I was going out with a girl. We loved each other a lot, and we had unprotected sex.One night, when I had left the village for vacation with my parents, she came all the way to see me, to my great surprise. But she was very frustrated and didn ’t even greet me. I asked her what was wrong.She responded, in a very soft, scared voice, that she hadn ’t had her period for the last two months.My heart was pounding.The next day, she took a pregnancy test —and the test was positive. She began crying incessantly. I gave her the money to get an abortion, but the procedure wasn’t successful. And she and I began the greatest nightmare of our lives.They insulted us, hated us, even kicked us out of the family.Her parents kicked her out and sent her to our house. My family was shocked —no one in our family had ever had children outside of marriage. They insulted us, hated us, beat us, and even kicked us out of the family. My own father didn’t even want to see me because I had shamed and dishonored the family, and destroyed our reputation.In the end, God eased our suffering. My girlfriend delivered a baby girl. I prayed and fasted for three days to thank God.A few months later, an acquaintance who was the president of the reproductive health and family planning Youth Ambassador Network...
Source: IntraHealth International - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: Source Type: news