Reacting to the one of the blogs shared last week, I was saddened by the truth that young women and girls would rather contract HIV than fall pregnant. I was taken back by the alarming figures shared, but it is the sad truth. I remember when I was in school and the thought of falling pregnant was like a death sentence. It was a death sentence because your peers, parents and those around you had evidence that you were sexually active. This was the biggest fear and the thought of the shame and stigma that one would face led many girls in our schools to do many life threatening things. Girls took dangerous concoctions, had unsafe abortions and even often attempted to commit suicide because they had discovered they were pregnant. Similarly today, girls and many young women would rather have HIV because it doesn’t show! I think we are now fighting this kind of mentality and we need to break free from this.

On that note, I was listening to radio and heard a discussion on women both married and unmarried carrying condoms in their hand bags. The discussion was around what this implies. I think a large percentage of young women and girls fall in this bracket.At a personal level, I remember the first time I attempted to purchase condoms in a chemist; I almost broke into a sweat. It is ironic because I talk to and spend a lot of time encouraging other young women to negotiate for safe sex and take control of their sexualities yet buying them proved challenging. Then I remembered a young girl I once saw buying emergency contraception in her school uniform and it broke my heart. She would rather avoid pregnancy than negotiate for safe sex.

I think as an informed young woman it is almost mandatory for me to take control of my life and protect myself and my sexuality. This should be regardless of what the society is saying about it.During the radio show, callers commented on how women with condoms in their bags are out to look for sex, they are promiscuous whether married or not and most people thought it was unacceptable. I would think that if my partner had condoms then they are thinking about us both and our future not that they are promiscuous!! The irony to the radio talk is that men felt they need to carry condoms, to protect themselves but women do not!

According to the standard on 13th January 2010, it was encouraging to hear that more Kenyans are using condoms. This is a great progress. Now that the government has promised to supply more condoms to help reduce the spread of HIV, I can only hope that more young women will realize the importance of protecting themselves if and when they have sex. For more on that article visit: http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/InsidePage.php?id=2000000869&cid=4&

We should have the right to have control of our sexuality as young women and girls. We should dictate when, how and if we want sex. After today, I do think more than ever that I need to have condoms in my handbag because I love the power to love and protect myself!

Best!