Stigma, funding cuts and the Iran war put contraception out of reach for Africa’s girls

EPWORTH, Zimbabwe -- Being a teen mother was far from what Zimbabwean Kelly Nhedega had imagined. The 18-year-old had mapped out a different future: finish school, train as a nurse and then start a family. But when she became sexually active, contraception felt out of reach. The stigma of a young girl queuing for condoms, pills or a birth control implant at a crowded local clinic where other patients, or even health workers, could judge her or tell her parents, kept Nhedega away. She became pregnant at 16 and dropped out of school.Now caring for an 18-month-old child, Nhedega recently obtained contraception discreetly as she tries to get back to a classroom."That’s a mission I have to complete first. More babies will mean less or no time for school,” she said, her toddler fidgeting on her lap.As aid cuts and global shipping disruptions threaten access to contraception for girls in Africa, Nhedega's experience highlights a broader challenge that goes beyond whether contraceptives are being bought or stocked. Parental opposition, restrictive policies, stigma and the fear of being seen at a clinic can stand between girls and contraception, even as governments try to compensate for shr...