I never thought that this is in fact what I would be doing in Africa. Awesomely, I have had the opportunity to visit several schools here in the Luwero District of Uganda. I’ve taught a baby class how to draw a triangle, I’ve explained to level three primary classes the difference between antonyms and synonyms, and I’ve even taught high school students. I am not qualified to teach in any classroom setting, so the teenage level is a bit intimidating. Besides, 85% of the kids are larger than my 5’2 ¾” self. However, since I am white, that counts for something. To Africans, I have something special to impart about being successful and making money. Thankfully, I haven’t been enlightening the pupils on statistics or how to make bank. Instead, I have been speaking to the students about sex…
I remember when my mom first talked to me about upcoming bodily changes and that three-letter-word. I think it was probably about 1997. I was nine years old and my largest concern was my weekend soccer game or going on neighborhood adventures with my dog, Jack. And after the first “talk,” they just kept coming. My mother was and still remains to be a firm believer in openness. I used to hide, only succeeding to escape the embarrassment a few times. Eventually she would start have them in the car where there was no means of getaway. My mother is a genius, I tell you. Altogether, she had interesting, yet very effective parenting tactics. When my sister and I fought, we would have to go to the front yard to hug for X amount of minutes or until we worked out our differences. If we persisted to refrain from appropriate manners at the dinner table, we had to take our plates to the garage. I now adore the way Cynthia Dale raised us kids. Back then I thought that my mom was a tiny bit insane, but she assured me that one day I would be grateful for all the frankness. She was definitely right. I have absolutely appreciated it throughout the years, and now in Uganda I have come to an even greater appreciation.
When asked to conduct a high school assembly during our second week in Wobulenzi, my team asked our contact about what we should speak. Rather than success or even the love of Jesus, Pastor Moses told us, “sex issues and aids prevention.” This was the first time any of us had done anything like this. So, the six of us all spoke. We each gave a 5-10 minute testimony, talking about our experiences and touching on things they could learn from. I ended the assembly with my testimony and decision to abstain from sex until I’m married. I struggled with giving this testimony, for fear of amplifying my reputation as a “good girl.” Stupid, really. I knew I had to do it, and God used it for His glory. Most of the kids were taken aback that a 24-year-old girl had never “been with someone.” At the end, we had an alter call, where a few hundred students committed to staying pure until marriage. The results of this assembly were truly shocking.
From that point forward, we were asked to speak at many other high schools, each containing a few hundred 12-20 year olds. We tweaked the program and sometimes even had a Q&A session. The wide range of questions from these youngsters was heartbreaking. “Can my boyfriend and I still have love even if we don’t play sex?” “How can I abstain from sex?” “How do you remove a condom when it gets stuck?” “If a person gets pregnant as a result of rape and their mother sends them away, what can they do?” The list goes on and on. There were multiple questions that were difficult to answer. We simply had to do our best according to our knowledge and the resources available in East Africa, which are very slim. The misconceptions and lack of knowledge here are repulsive, so much so that I have found myself becoming angry at the world.
Many believe that if one has sex with a virgin, they will be cured of STD’s. There is a myth flying around that drugs will prevent STD’s. Girls will submit to their male peers who pressure them to have sex. Those guys simply do not care. So many men here have more than one wife. Aids is running ramped. I have met multiple orphans of aids victims. Some of these orphans themselves have the disease and are on the brink of destruction. It all disgusts me. Medicine to suppress the disease is slim. There is nowhere that pregnant girls can go for help. The U.S. supplies them with condoms and birth control galore, so the kids were confused as to why we were encouraging them to abstain from sex. There is so much more I could say. Africa needs help. God designed sex for one man and one woman upon matrimony. I can’t deny that protected sex is of course encouraged above unprotected, but I believe that there is a higher way for these young Africans. If individuals would only be aware of the consequences to their actions and realize that there is a perfect plan for sex, so much horror could be dismissed in this place and throughout the world. It's true that everyone has his or her own choice to make, but many don't realize the better option or their rights as an individual. Therefore, increased awareness is fundamental.
I have been honored to able to speak to these few kids of the next generation in East Africa. I am blessed to possess knowledge about this thing called waiting for sex. It is something that I have never previously counted so great.
