WESTERN PROVINCE

Yesterday, it was all joy in the Nyiraneza family for they thought she would not succeed in baring a child.

While most births are a happy affair, the one of Nyiraneza, an 11-year old girl for Kibuye, was devastating. The baby was born days ago.

Calling it "the most severe case we have ever handled,” Zabron in charge of maternity at Kibuye hospital, said concern over the age of the child had been devastating to her parents. "All the times she came for check ups,” her mother Mukamulisa says, "the comment was always the fact that her womb as well as bones were not still young and not large enough to support the baby.”

She says she blames herself for not having taken time to council her daughter, especially about sex-related issues.

Nyiraneza’s boyfriend is a student in primary four. His father says he is denying what has happened.

"My son is only 15 years, and I had never seen an eleven year old pregnant before,” Ngarambe said.

However, Zabron explained that any girl who under goes the menstruation period can get pregnant if she plays unprotected sex.

And in this case fertility for most girls starts at the age of 13 but there are exceptions of others that have it at the age of 10 or even 9 years of age.

 "Therefore parents should be cautious of their kids, give them lessons about sex education because hiding only increases on the risk of HIV/AIDS and early pregnancies,” he concluded.

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