-In VOA #1, as Residents Urge Action on Sex Education
By Sampat JMB Kpakimah
Brewerville: Fifteen-year-old Famatta Konneh became a mother while still a student. Now, she struggles to support herself and her child by selling fruits. She is among dozens of teenagers in the Baby-Ma Junction community, VOA #1, Brewerville City who share a similar story.
Teenage pregnancy is a major social and public health crisis in the area and residents say it is a problem that is stealing the future of young girls and damaging the wider community. Fifteen-year-old Famatta Konneh, a 2025 graduate of Kpallah Public School, now struggles to support herself and her child by selling fruit. She became a mother while still a student. “I was in school before I got pregnant. I had sex education, but only from my biology teacher, not from home,” Famatta Konneh tells WomenVoices.
The pregnancy met Famatta in her parents’ home where she lives along with her grandfather and her father’s younger siblings, She admits that the pregnancy was unplanned. “It was a pleasure, but I regret it,” she said quietly. “It happened by mistake. I didn’t even know I was pregnant because I was still seeing my menstrual cycle.”
Famatta acknowledges experiencing pressure from her partner during a period of misunderstanding and financial hardship. Despite the challenges, Famatta said her father stood by her throughout the pregnancy.
Now, poverty and stigma dominate her life. Neither she nor her child attends school. Her small fruit business often collapses due to losses. “People mock me, and they bully my child too,” she said. “I am no longer treated fairly among my peers.”
Even though she’s a 2025 graduate of Kpallah Public School, Famatta regrets having a child so early and urges other girls to learn from her story. “I will avoid sex and listen to my family,” she said. “Girls need support and intensive sex education. They should focus on their lessons,” she advised.
Hawa Kollie, a 60-year-old single mother of five, believes teenage pregnancy stems from disobedience and a lack of parental control. “When this thing happens, parents still have to feed and shelter the child, even when they are hurt,” she said. “Some girls even try to abort the pregnancy because of peer pressure, and that can lead to death.”
Kollie, who sells goods near a school, says she often sees students roaming outside during class hours.
“While parents think their children are in school, they are outside passing around with friends,” she said. “Children these days don’t feel sorry for their parents.”
Peter Konneh, a 70-year-old teacher at VOA Academic public school, observes that children are now having babies at shockingly young ages. “These days, even children 10 or 11 years old are giving birth,” he observed. “They grow faster than in our time.”
He blames weak family structures, where many children live with single parents or guardians, making discipline difficult. He also criticizes modern constraints on teachers. “Because of human rights, teachers are afraid to discipline children,” he said. “We don’t have authority anymore.”
Konneh says his school holds awareness sessions and allows teenage mothers to return after childbirth discreetly. However, he notes enrollment has dropped since school feeding programs ended. “Teenage pregnancy is a social problem,” he said. “Parents must teach children self-worth. They are valuable, and Liberia’s future depends on them.”
A UNDP 2023 report shows that the rate of teenage pregnancies remains high in Liberia, with 1 in 3 girls between the ages of 15 and 19 being either a mother or pregnant. “The proportion of adolescents and young women who wish to and are using modern contraception (contraceptive prevalence rate) also remains low at 16.4 percent, and the unmet need for family planning among adolescents is high at 47 percent.,” it states.
Miatta Cummings, a registered nurse at Glory of Christ Clinic, says most teenage mothers at her facility are 16 or 17. She lists pleasure, peer pressure, lack of family planning, and poor communication as primary causes.
“The health risks include C-sections, especially when girls don’t attend regular checkups or ultrasounds,” she explained.
Cummings says the clinic provides antenatal counseling and monthly baby item distributions. Pregnant women receive free treatment.
“Parents should not hide sex education,” she advised. “Telling children the truth about sex does more good than harm.”
She urges the government to let pregnant teenagers stay in school if they are determined to learn.
Amandu Sarnor, a father and CEO of Sean Devereux School, describes teenage pregnancy as a symptom of deep social and economic problems.
“Many children are exploited for little or nothing because of poverty,” he said. His school has reduced cases by hiring a social worker, but the wider community still struggles. “I recently saw a 15-year-old pregnant girl in this community,” he recalled. “She was pale, malnourished, and sick because she wasn’t being fed properly.”
Sarnor calls on the Ministry of Gender and community leaders to engage directly with schools. He recommends creating youth social clubs for open discussion. “Parents must be empowered to take care of their homes,” he said. “Children should listen to their parents and focus on education.” The VOA community in Brewerville has long hosted refugees and displaced people. Baby-Ma Junction features zinc houses and widespread poverty. Residents cope with poor roads, limited electricity, unsafe water, substance abuse, and few social services.
Community estimates suggest nearly 80 percent of young people in Baby-Ma Junction are already parents. The area’s VOA relay facilities, key to regional broadcasting from the 1960s until Liberia’s civil war, now sit silent. Residential settlements grew around them, bringing the challenges of rapid, unplanned growth.
As concerns mount, residents agree that solving teenage pregnancy in Baby-Ma Junction will require collective action, honest dialogue, and lasting support for young people and their families.
