Abstract

During the first COVID-19 lockdown in Namibia (March-September 2020), the Ministry of Health and Social Services reported there were an estimated 14,983 teenage pregnancies in 2020, an increase from the prior year’s estimated 13,552. The regions of Kavango East and West were particularly impacted. In response to these figures, the Ombetja Yehinga Organisation (OYO), a youth-focused Namibian non-governmental organization, facilitated an after-school intervention in 2021 to discuss key sexual and reproductive health knowledge. An identical questionnaire was administered at both pre- and post-test, in order to provide baseline information for assessing the effectiveness of a school-based intervention to promote safe sexual behaviours. A total of 18 schools in the regions of Kavango East and West participated in the intervention between May-September 2021, and 638 learners aged 13-25 were included in data analysis after completing both the pre- and post-tests. Prior to the intervention, knowledge on sexual and reproductive health, including safe sexual behaviours and accessing contraceptives was limited. Results obtained at post-test indicate there were significant increases in participants’ level of knowledge between pre- and post-test, suggesting that school-based interventions (such as the OYO program) may be effective in disseminating this crucial information to at-risk populations.

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