Turkmen teens in all parts of Turkmenistan build the Bridge of Life-skills during UNFPA World Population Day 2013 country-wide campaign
Turkmen teens in the capital and all velayats of Turkmenistan engaged in building a Bridge of Life Skills to be able to make responsible decisions in relations to their health. The interactive sessions were conducted within the framework of the UNFPA World Population Day 2013 country-wide campaign, jointly with the National Clinical Center for Mother and Child Health (NCCMC) and Youth Organization of Turkmenistan named after Magtymguly.
Each year, World Population Day focuses attention on the urgency and importance of population and reproductive health. This year, the theme of World Population Day 2013:Adolescent Pregnancy. To amplify the call to action to empower adolescent girls and to better equip them with the life skills for making the right and responsible decisions affecting their reproductive health, UNFPA Turkmenistan launched a campaign with a slogan “Healthy and Responsible Youth- Engine for Development.”
At the beginning of the sessions, teens were invited to view a small theatrical skit involving two girl teenagers. In a skit, although a girl had enough information in hands, she got pregnant. The session moderators further facilitated a brainstorming session among the young people on how could a girl prevent her unwanted pregnancy. Teens were asked to break into groups and start coming up with the specific life skills in form of bricks to help build the “Bridge of life skills”. After resuming from the small group discussions, young people were encouraged to build a bridge between two banks of the river using the bricks – one bank symbolizing the existing information in hand; the river symbolizing all the problems the teenagers can sink into without the necessary life skills; and the other side of the river symbolizing healthy reproductive life.
“The goal of ‘building the life skills’ is not only providing our young people with the information, since the society today is very well informed,” said Maya Meretkuliyeva, UNFPA Youth Outreach specialist who facilitated the interactive sessions. “We must develop their skills to help them better use that information for making the right decisions and applying it correctly in real life situations.”
After the exercise the representatives from the National Clinic held a question and answer session with the teens, where they had a frank and open discussion on adolescent reproductive health, consequences of early pregnancy, STIs and HIV prevention, personal hygiene of teens, as well as the existing services in their region to address the questions of interest. TEEN Hotline and Youth center contacts were also shared with the teenagers.
Mengli, 17, Jyanga town: “My dream is to enter the Balkanabat Medical College, and later graduate from the Turkmen State Medical University. Life skills will empower me to overcome the challenges I will meet on the way to achieving my dreams.”
Since 1992, UNFPA in Turkmenistan directs its efforts to ensure that every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe, and every young person’s potential is fulfilled.
in the news:
Read in Russian in “Neutral Turkmenistan”
Read in Turkmen in “Dashoguz Habarlary”
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UNFPA: Delivering a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe, and every young person’s potential is fulfilled.
For additional information, please contact
Ene Tuyliyeva, Advocacy Communication Associate
Tel: 425250
Web: turkmenistan.unfpa.org
