Nkwen Association Boys Brigade drilled on SRH issues during Rally
With the aim of imbibing good morals for healthy living among young boys and celebrating the advancement of Christ’s kingdom, the Nkwen Association Boy’s Brigade (BB) of the Cameroon Baptist Convention rallied at Hope Baptist Church, Ndamukong on August 26, 2023. This grand rally brought together over 560 boys and young men, who have been called upon to be the moral conscience of society.
Taking the opportunity of this gathering of young people, the Equality project of the CBC Health Services was present to raise awareness and provide age-appropriate Sexual and Reproductive Health education aimed at empowering these boys to make informed decisions.
To ensure the education was age-appropriate, the children, adolescents, and youths were organized in two groups; those from the ages 13 and below were in one group while those above 13 years had a different session. The two sessions were very interactive, providing a safe space for these young boys to share their thoughts, questions, and experiences related to sexual health. The older boys learned the importance of adopting responsible sexual behavior and having sexual integrity and gained practical knowledge and skills to delay sexual debut and prevent Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs).
For the young boys, the focus was on body hygiene, decent dressing, the need to avoid the abusive use of social media, and the need to keep their private parts private and not allow anyone to touch them. These boys raised interesting questions that highlighted their level of exposure to and knowledge of Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH). In addition to the health education, there was a team responsible for voluntary HIV counseling and testing.
“This is the most important information I have received since I turned 12,” one participant commented. I am 19 years old and have never known how bad STIs are, these pictures have said it all and during the presentation, the only thing on my mind was to get my friends in the quarter to know about these things as well as another participant mentioned. From the feedback from the participants, we can say without a doubt that education will create a lasting impact in the lives of these young boys.