Empowering Girls in School

Role models support teenage mothers back to school campaign at community level

The organization in the last quarter supported role models to campaign on teenage mother back to school at the community level. A total of 665 teenage and expectant mothers benefited from the campaigned. The role models were carefully selected from the beneficiary community to ensure effective communication for greater impact. The girl were made to understand, recognized and appreciate the need to go back to school after given birth. Teenage mothers were told, low level of education is a major cause of youth unemployment in the country especially among girls. The world is now a global community that require technological skills to be gainfully employed, this gradually close opportunities for illiterates to get employment, thereby increasing poverty level among the youth, especially girls. Hence being a teenage or expectant mother should not be a barrier to your education, many becomes pregnant by no fault of theirs but circumstances beyond them. The remorse after learning lessons from your mistake, should be a motivation factor for you to get back to school and become serious on your books.

Parents and stakeholders were sensitized to ensure equal access to quality education by all children of school going age, without any form of discrimination. It is not uncommon for parents/ Guardian to deny these categories of person’s(teenage and expectants mothers) rights to education with excuse that they choose to be mothers and should be married out to those who impregnate them or stay at home and take care of their babies. These assumptions mostly demoralized teenage and expectant mothers who wish to go back to school after birth. Parents were advice to stop such practices and support their teenage and expectant to get back to school after given birth. They were excited and promised to support the campaign of teenage mothers back to school.

The girls could not hide their excitement on the campaign and were committed to get back to school after given birth. This is what 19 years teenage mother, Miss Abena has to say, “I am much motivated and encouraged with stories of successful teenage mothers, these stories has rescinded my decision of not going back to school. My dream was to be a Nurse, I loss hope in my dream when I became pregnant, today’s education has convinced me, my dream can still be fulfill.”