Addressing the ban of pregnant girls from school: planning interventions responding to the needs of adolescent girls in Sierra Leone

Mohammed A. M. Elhassein, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)
Philippe Lust-Bianchi, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)
Bannet Ndyanabangi, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)

In 2014, the Government took the decision to close schools to contain the spread of Ebola. Eight months later, as the number of new cases reduced drastically, 1.8 million children were allowed to return to school. But not all children were concerned, as the Ministry of Education published a position paper indicating that girls visibly pregnant could not return to school. A recent assessment of teenage pregnancy during Ebola identified 8,684 schoolgirls that have become pregnant during Ebola. In total, more than 14,386 cases of adolescent pregnancy (in and out of school) were identified. In the context of post-Ebola transition, this ban created additional challenges in fulfilling the pregnant/delivered girls right to Health, Education and Social Protection. Development Partners and the Government are working to address these. The data collected by UNFPA on the life of these girls will allow planning the delivery of quality health, education and protection services.