Lamunu Naume Lorna: How COVID-19 affected the youths and how we can address it

1. What effects have COVID-19 had on a target group of your choice?
Taking the youth as my target group, they are a group of people who were the most affected due to COVID-19 pandemic in the following ways:

• Teenage pregnancy: Most of the young girls and boys have become mothers and fathers due to this pandemic. Being home and idle, these young fellows have come together and meet leading to unwanted pregnancies. For example; the police has filed over 500 cases of early teenage pregnancies during the period of COVID-19.
  
  
• Drug abuse and alcoholism: The youths have involved in this act since they are idle as it says an idle mind is the devil’s workshop so they started practicing alcoholism and drug abuse to pass time and keep a little busy.
  
  
• Poverty: Most of the jobs were stopped due to this pandemic for fear of its spread among the workers leaving people jobless. This has increased poverty level in the areas making it hard to have all the needs to sustain a living.
  
  
• Increased crime rates: People have resorted to crimes like theft so as to earn a living since there are no jobs available at hand for them to involve in.
  
  
• Death: COVID-19 being a dangerous killing disease, many people have lost their lives due to this infection. It has killed over a million people the youths inclusive which was the most dangerous effect of this pandemic.
  
  
• School dropouts: This have been caused by the pandemic in that schools were closed and children mostly the impregnated ones were forced to drop out of school since they can’t continue with their condition studying because most schools do not allow pregnant students to continue studying leading to their school dropout.
  
  
• Job opportunities: The youths during the COVID-19 pandemic have had time to get small job opportunities like helping in construction sites and brick laying earning them income to buy requirements and other material wants.
  
  
• Fear and stigmatisation: COVID-19 have left people afraid, this is common especially where people have developed myths against COVID-19 which are false giving fear to the people. The fear to go for medical check ups and blood tests among the youths because they are afraid they might contact this corona virus from doctors and sick patients hence they might not know they have infections during this pandemic.
  
  
• Early marriage: Since the girls and the boys as in the pregnant and those who have impregnated girls among the young youths were forced to go for early marriage which at the end they find difficulty in managing the family.
  
  
• Making ned friends and companies: The youths have been brough together due to this COVID-19 and so they have made new companies and at the end they share a common goal as new friends in the communities.
  
  
• Boredom and idleness plus laziness: The youths have become idle and bored and lazy too due to this pandemic since there are no jobs available after being closed and no sporting activities are allowed to place and so they become bored, idle and lazy too.
  
  
• Infections: There is teens love among the teenage youths. The conditions COVID-19 brough made youths reject going for blood test before meeting with their partners for fear they might get the corona virus by going to hospitals maybe from doctors or infected ones so they end up having sex with their love partners and hence getting STDSs from them.

2. Suggest actions plans to manage the consequences of COVID-19.
Some of the action plans are as follows:

• Laws should be set against the act of alcoholism and drug usage in the communities and punishments given to those found practicing this act so as to reduce the rate of drug substance use and alcoholism.
  
  
• The young mothers shouldn’t be rejected in the community instead they should be welcomed and helped with both material things if need be and advice so as to make a good wife and mother. They can also still be welcomed back to the group despite being mothers and equally treated like others.
  
  
• The lazy ones should not be contained in the community and should be punished and not helped if they want help for no one sits and eats a fellow’s sweat. They should be encouraged to do work so as not to be with a devil’s place of work in mind since they are idle.
  
  
• The community mostly the youths should be taught the importance of blood test with their partners and use of protections like condoms so as to reduce the rate of them getting infected with STDSs and getting unwanted pregnancy which could lead them to danger and suffering.
  
  
• Parents and guidance should be taught the dangers of early and forced marriage to their children so as to reduce this practice.
  
  
• To lower poverty level, jobs should be created for the local members so they can participate in and earn their living. They can too create jobs in their own areas locally and earn themselves money to sustain their families.
  
  
• The young mothers can be introduced to vocational schools so as to learn shills and crafts hence they are able to earn money and provide for their family and reduced suffering and poverty in their home.
  
  
• Parents should be advised to take back children to school so as to avoid more problems with their stay at home life involving immoral acts.
  
  
• Strict laws should be put and followed against the following of the SOPs. People should follow ways of combating the spread of COVID-19 in their communities by following the SOPs so as to prevent the spread of corona virus and reduce the death rates of people.
  
  
• The locals should be taught on how and importance of being job creators than job seekers. This can help in that when there limited jobs to find, it’s easy to earn a living with the jobs in their own area created. At least they can benefit on the jobs they have created.
  
  
• In conclusion, people especially the youths should involve in sports and music dance and drama activities so as to keep them busy and fit leaving no time to go for immoral acts like use of drugs and alcoholism and many others, their minds won’t be idle like the devil’s workshop.