Thriving Teens Reaching 2 Connect

Out of the 50 United States, Mississippi ranks #1 for the highest rates of teen births (1); Mississippi ranks #1 for the highest infant deaths; Mississippi ranks #1 in the nation for sexually transmitted diseases! Family Wellness Outreach Center of Mississippi, Inc. is a community-based, non-profit organization that proposes to implement a high quality, high fidelity sexual risk avoidance education (SRAE) model program for vulnerable youth in rural and under-resourced counties ranked with the highest birth rates: Clay (#10), Chickasaw (#13) and Lowndes (#68). With an average rate of 39.53 for all races (per 1,000 females), the 2019 teen birth rate in the target areas exceeds the state rate (29.1.) by 39.39% and the national birth rate (13.6) by 97.61%. The birth rates for African American teens in the counties are even higher averaging 42.83% and exceeding the national rate by 103.60%. The STD’s/STI’s are at dangerous levels and will be addressed through this program.