Teen Mothers

Teen Mothers are adolescent girls who have given birth before the age of 20 years

Teen Mothers
Teen Mothers are adolescent girls who have given birth before the age of 20 years

Over the years of our interaction with children in CANA Club, in Kisenyi, we have realized the need to give support to Teen Mothers, whose children comprise 30% of the children in our Club. Teen Mothers refers to adolescent girls who have given birth before the age of 20 years. These girls often suffer from depression, social complexity and do not possess inadequate parenting skills. Many acquire repeat pregnancies which increases their health risk. Their children lag development totally and are at risk of poor health, low or no educational opportunities which persists into adolescence. To break this cycle of child abuse and prevent these problems being passed on from generation to generation, we saw the need to start a Teen Mother’s program to help teen mothers in Kisenyi and surrounding villages. Kisenyi is an urban slum that developed along the railway line that traverses the Namilyango valley. The area is neighboring the Namanve Business Industrial Park and attracts hundreds of people who come to work as casual laborers in these factories.

Our Interventions:

  • Home visits
  • Mental health services (Counseling)
  • Nutritional/feeding supplements
  • Entrepreneurship/business skills development
  • School/education based interventions

Outcomes:

  • Medical care
  • Life skills gained
  • Improved self esteem
  • Improved parenting skills
  • Better parenting behaviors
  • Decreased repeat pregnancies

Eligibility criteria

  • Girls under 20 years at delivery
  • Willingness to embrace the program
  • Girls living in Kisenyi and surrounding villages

“Aims of the TEEN MOTHERS program:”

The Teen Mother’s program was established in 2020 to offer services aimed at improving teen parenting while enhancing skills development and spiritual growth of adolescent girls who have given birth before the age of 20 years. With the closure of schools for almost two years now, the rate at which teenage girls living in Kisenyi slum are becoming pregnant has risen. The purpose of the Teen Mother’s program is to reach out to these girls with a goal of improving behavior risk factors underlying teen pregnancy and other associated risks.