Teenage Pregnancy Reduction
Let girls be girls not mothers
Today 41 % of the population of Sierra Leone is under 18 years of age. Teenage pregnancy is alarming, more than one third of all pregnancies involve teenage girls and up to 40% of maternal deaths occur among them.
Mariatu’s Hope is a participating partner in the National Strategy for the reduction of teenage pregnancy. Change is possible; girls hold the keys to a society without poverty. With the right skills and opportunities, they can invest now in their future and later in their families. If they can stay in school, postpone marriage, delay family formation, and build their own capacity, they will have more time to prepare for adulthood before taking on the responsibility of parenting.
Mariatu's Hope team members discuss the challenges of becoming pregnant in Sierra Leone. They share about the importance of proper prenatal medical care and that their child needs to be born at a medical facility, MH encourages girls to return to school and continue their education by providing breast pumps to the moms. Participating in these conversations, girls can openly discuss the difficulties of being teen mothers, hopefully preventing other colleagues from becoming teenage mothers. Colleagues can discuss openly their feelings in a safe environment. MH provides one-on-one counseling when needed. Also, MH teams sensitize communities on this important issue. This is done in a non-judgmental way, sharing the love of Jesus Christ with the participants.
For girls who have given birth, MH will provide them with a breast pump so they can pump two bottles of breast milk and leave their babies with a responsible caregiver so they can return to school. Without an education, there is little chance the girls will be able to support their children.
Today 41 % of the population of Sierra Leone is under 18 years of age. Teenage pregnancy is alarming, more than one third of all pregnancies involve teenage girls and up to 40% of maternal deaths occur among them.
Mariatu’s Hope is a participating partner in the National Strategy for the reduction of teenage pregnancy. Change is possible; girls hold the keys to a society without poverty. With the right skills and opportunities, they can invest now in their future and later in their families. If they can stay in school, postpone marriage, delay family formation, and build their own capacity, they will have more time to prepare for adulthood before taking on the responsibility of parenting.
Mariatu's Hope team members discuss the challenges of becoming pregnant in Sierra Leone. They share about the importance of proper prenatal medical care and that their child needs to be born at a medical facility, MH encourages girls to return to school and continue their education by providing breast pumps to the moms. Participating in these conversations, girls can openly discuss the difficulties of being teen mothers, hopefully preventing other colleagues from becoming teenage mothers. Colleagues can discuss openly their feelings in a safe environment. MH provides one-on-one counseling when needed. Also, MH teams sensitize communities on this important issue. This is done in a non-judgmental way, sharing the love of Jesus Christ with the participants.
For girls who have given birth, MH will provide them with a breast pump so they can pump two bottles of breast milk and leave their babies with a responsible caregiver so they can return to school. Without an education, there is little chance the girls will be able to support their children.