Beauty Queen takes advocacy on teenage pregnancy to schools

Miss Humanitarian Beauty Queen 2017/18, Bertha Amuga, on Friday said she was taking a sensitisation campaign against teenage pregnancy to secondary schools in and around the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Amuga told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja that the initiative was a flagship of her humanitarian pet project geared towards empowering the less privileged and vulnerable people in society, especially children.

NAN reports that the Miss Humanitarian Beauty Queen is crowned on the platform of the Miss Humanitarian Beauty Pageant organised by Bebiem Entertainment.

The Pageant aims at producing ambassadors who will champion causes in education and skills acquisition training, among other things for the vulnerable and the less privileged, especially in rural areas.

“Teenage pregnancy has become a menace that plagues the lives of young girls across the country and someone has to speak against it.

“Although there are a lot of causal factors such as rape and peer pressure, ignorance is majorly responsible for teenage pregnancy, and that is why I am going to sensitise these adolescents.

“It is very sad that many of our teenagers get sexually active very early nowadays without adequate knowledge about sex and unintended pregnancy.

“Many times, they do not have the knowledge needed to make informed and responsible decisions, and therefore get incorrect information from friends and movies,’’ she said.

The beauty queen said that schools in rural communities in and around Abuja are to be given priority in the campaign since they seemed to be less exposed and less aware.

She said that she would be accompanied on the campaign by volunteers, who would serve as professional counselors and teachers during the course of the project.

Amuga said that orphans and indigent students would be identified and given moral and financial support.

She urged government at all levels, philanthropists and parents to give special attention towards the education and empowerment of the girl-child across Nigeria.

“When a girl is educated and empowered or otherwise, it has a multiplier effect on the society because, girls are the mothers of tomorrow.’’

The humanitarian ambassador called on corporate bodies and individuals to identify with the initiative and support her in the quest to empower the vulnerable and less privileged.