By: Sulaiman Aruna Sesay

Sierra Leone is currently facing a severe water crisis that has badly affected the country’s education system and led to a sharp increase in teenage pregnancy. The impact of this crisis on these important social issues cannot be understated, and it is essential to evaluate the extent of its impact on the population.

The water crisis in Sierra Leone has been brought about by several factors such as a lack of infrastructure, poor management, and climate change. The result is that a significant portion of the population does not have access to clean drinking water, and those who do have to pay exorbitant prices for it. This has adversely affected the education system with schools either closing down due to the lack of water or remaining open with no accessible water source. Without water, schools quickly become uninhabitable, and the quality of education is severely compromised as both teachers and students are dehydrated and less focused on learning.

It is believed that the water crisis has had an indirect impact on teenage pregnancy in Sierra Leone. A significant portion of Sierra Leone’s population relies on agriculture, where men usually leave their villages to find work in other areas, leaving women and teenage girls to take over farming duties. With no access to clean water, they must walk long distances to fetch water while carrying heavy jerry cans, sometimes more than twice daily, leading to exhaustion making them more vulnerable to abuse and early sexual activity.

Teenage pregnancy is a significant concern in Sierra Leone, with one in five girls becoming pregnant by the age of 19. The water crisis exacerbates this problem as teenage girls are forced to walk long distances in search of water and are often approached by men who take advantage of their vulnerability.

The water crisis, therefore, has far-reaching implications beyond just access to cleanse drinking water in Sierra Leone. It also significantly affects the country’s education system and teenage pregnancy rates, two important social issues that require urgent attention. The government and international partners must immediately tackle the water crisis and prioritize providing clean water access to the population to avoid the negative impact on teenage girls and the education system. Without safe and clean water, the significant advances made in education and improving teenage pregnancy rates in Sierra Leone could be lost.