Esther Nanzala was a distraught mother when her daughter got pregnant at 16 while in form one.
She was forced to skip classes and contemplated dropping out of school and getting married when her father disowned her.
Nanzala, however, embraced her daughter, through motherly love and tender care and vowed to support her despite getting pregnant at an early age.
The daughter gave birth in December last year and with support from a teenage mother support group, she was enrolled back to school to continue with her studies.
The teenage mother support group was formed by various partners through the Together Empowering Society to Eliminate Abuse of Women and Children (Tetea) Project.
The Project seeks to reduce cases of teenage pregnancy in Malava and Shinyalu sub counties with Malava leading with over 16000 cases as of 2022.
In the project, teenage mothers meet with a healthcare worker twice a month accompanied by their mothers or any parent or guardian.
During the meeting, they undergo training, counseling and teaching with a focus on strengthening them to cope with life and bond with their families.
After attending the sessions, Nanzala says she talked to her husband who forgave her daughter and accepted her back.
Another girl from the area who got pregnant while in form three says through support from the teenage mother support group, she has joined a polytechnic at Lubao to continue with her studies.
She says her parents had already disowned her after getting pregnant and dropping out of school which caused emotional distress and almost got into depression.
A Community Health Promoter(CHP) at Imbiakalo dispensary, Rahab Zipporah Livui, says in the area they have about 19 teenage mothers who get support from the group.
She noted that teenage mothers have now become ambassadors to educate their peers against falling into the trap of teenage pregnancy and other harmful practices like abortion.
“When we started participants had fear and felt shame but currently they feel free and comfortable with each other and have developed confidence. We are going on well,” she added.
She says the teenage mother support group has also improved the bonding between the teenage mothers and their parents who have now noticed a change of the behavior of their daughters.
Livui also noted that they have encouraged all the teenage mothers to go back to school either in secondary where they dropped out or enroll in a Vocational Training Center to learn a trade skill of their choice.
“They are also doing well with education, some had thought of quitting but with the group, they were encouraged to proceed with their education,” she added.
The Director of Kakamega Widows Empowerment Project that hosts the Tetea Project, Gerry Mwanzi said they have identified over 500 teenage mothers in Shinyalu and Malava Sub Counties.
He said the project, which is funded by the European Union and implemented by a consortium of partners led by the International Committee for the Development of People(CISP) , seeks to reduce cases of teenage pregnancies in Kakamega.
“The program is intended to ensure that their voice as young mothers are heard and to empower them to either go back to school or to start small initiatives that will ensure they become self-sustainable,” he added
Mwanzi noted that through their meetings, teenage mothers undergo a comprehensive training of 15 weeks to support them with basic life skills that can enable them to cope with life after having a child at a young age.
By Moses Wekesa
