Hurray for Sr. Sanyu!

Shortly after I wrote the last post, I called Sr. Sanyu, the head mistress at the high school, to arrange a meeting and rode my bike down (literally, down the hill) to St. Mary's. Walking takes a good twenty minutes, but the bike ride takes less than ten. I'm riding more and more these days.

We met and I explained that one of her students was pregnant. I asked what the policy was about girls attending school while pregnant. She told me that the girl was welcome to come back, but that the other girls might tease her when they found out she was pregnant.

She also agreed to meet with the girl's parents. I really can't communicate much with the mother since she speaks mostly Luganda, but Sr. Sanyu can. The father's English is excellent, but sometimes we both miss cultural nuances that limit the effectiveness of our communication, especially when the topic is something as sensitive as a daughter's unexpected pregnancy. Sr. Sanyu will do better with both parents.

Hurray! The kid can go back to school! Without an education the child (girl or baby) has no life. She can dig in banana fields the rest of her life or she can stay in school and do something with her life. Given that she will have a child to care for, education becomes even more important.

Sr. Sanyu also told me that there's a regulation in place that in the case where a girl in Senior Four is pregnant, the parents are required to provide a midwife during exams in case the girl goes into labor. In Senior Four the students take the major national exams that pretty much decide their future. They're stressful. The midwife provision is just a safeguard.

After meeting with Sr. Sanyu, I called the dad to explain that his daughter could go back to school then I went to the girl's house and told her she could go back to school. She was pretty happy. I spoke to the mother a little bit and the girls translated where necessary. The mom was also glad her daughter can go back to school.

Let's hope the kid has the courage to withstand the teasing of her peers. I may personally wring some necks if they don't have the charity to keep their mouths shut.