British High Commission Supports Teen Mothers
Nnasaretha Kgamanyane | Monday November 3, 2014 18:47
Teenage mothers related their stories and the challenges they face, as young mothers.
“I grew up as an obedient child but there was this guy I was very fond of. One day he asked me out and since I had a crush on him I agreed. We had a very wonderful relationship. We had sex and a few months later I realised that I was pregnant. When I told him, he denied the pregnancy and wanted nothing to do with our child or me. I was heartbroken.
Even though my family helped me to raise the child, being a teenage mother was not easy as I had to take care of my baby, had to attend school. I also wanted to spend time with my friends but I could not play with them as my child needed me,” one of the young women said.
Gender Specialist, Susan Kendall, said after realising that teenage mothers struggle with school and self-esteem, they decided to come up with an initiative that would boost their esteem. She highlighted that a quarter of young mothers would have another baby within a couple of years.
She applauded Botswana for offering those young people access to school, adding that if they are destitute, the country would have to support them with daily living needs.
“However ensuring these young women reach their full potential for themselves and their child requires a more innovative set of interventions,” Kendall added.
She also highlighted that this year, a group of women joined forces with the aim of ensuring that all the needs of these young mothers are met. She said the objective is to provide a space for young women to support one another, secure high quality professional services and enhance self-esteem.
Kendall said their plan was to start working with a small group of teen mothers to understand their needs and finally extend the work nationally to ensure that all teenage mothers are able to fulfill their potential.
Btv presenter, Gaone Tlhasana, and Miss Botswana 2013 Rosemary Keofitlhetse shared their thoughts with the young women. They encouraged them to study hard as unlike in the past, women have many career opportunities. According to United Nations Populations Fund (UNFPA) released recently, everyday 20, 000 girls under the age of 18 give birth.
UNFPA’s state of the world population report of 2013, revealed that in 2011, Botswana recorded 39 dropouts at primary school level due to pregnancy, while in the same year 453 dropped out of both junior and secondary schools.