“Until I met the community health worker Penina, I did not know that one can have sex and not get pregnant,” said Wanjiru, a participant of the Tupange Family Planning program. Wanjiru is not different from many women living in the slums of Nairobi. Women in these communities believe that they have no control over whether or not and when to become pregnant.
While attending her second year of secondary school, Wanjiru met Kamau. She fell in love with him and after a few months of courtship, they became sexually active. Within the same month, she became pregnant. This led to her dropping out of school, marrying Kamau and moving into a one room structure with him.