Teen mums in school need support and not shaming
Brenda Owino* and her eight- month-old baby. She dropped out of school when she got pregnant. The government has called on parents to take their daughters back to school in January.
Do you remember a book titled I Wish I Had No Child by Jane Ng'ang'ira? Published in 1993, it promoted sexual morality and also served as a cautionary tale against teenage pregnancies.
Something about the title of that book always sounded off when I read it as a child. As an adult, I recognised it as stigma.
Hundreds of teen mothers and expectant girls have reported back to school following Education Cabinet Secretary Prof George Magoha’s orders.
One can’t help but wonder how the path to empathy for teenagers looks, given that their voices are missing from the news reports. We’ve heard from everybody but the teen mums and expectant girls.
So what do they need? I spoke to two adult mums who had it rough as soon as their stories drifted from their preordained courses.
Diana Ndinda, 43, was 16 when she fell pregnant with her son. She was a Form Two student at Pangani Girls School, Nairobi. She applauds the move to allow pregnant girls back in school (she moved to a village school after she fell pregnant) but cautions that stigma and isolation will remain a reality for the teenagers.
Teenage mums
“I felt misunderstood by both adults and my peers. I never quite fit anywhere as my peers were busy having fun and going on with their education while I was busy nursing my baby. The adults also didn't want their daughters anywhere near me, as the pregnancy was deemed contagious.”
Patricia Njeri, 42, who had her daughter when she was 19, echoes these sentiments, adding that 23 years down the line, the stigma against teenage mums has not changed.
“Parents behaved as if I would infect their children with pregnancy,” she says.
Her experience prompted her to start an organisation called Birth and Beyond, which fights for the rights of teenage mums.
“The greatest need a teenage mum has is psychosocial support, so we offer that as well as vocational training. The girls who are going back to school are going to face stigma and judgement from teachers and fellow students, so the environment might not be conducive to them unless the teachers and students are trained to have the right attitude.”
Support
Ms Nyaga echoes these sentiments, adding that she kept her status as a mother hidden from everybody in her new school because she was sure she would not receive any support. If she could go back in time, she would introduce a club or support group for teen mothers as it’s a very lonely journey.
For Ms Njeri, introducing crèche facilities within schools would go a long way in making sure that the mother had peace of mind while in class.
So there you have it. The path to empathy includes acceptance and psychosocial support, and one can only hope that these will be provided by the Ministry of Education indiscriminately, as life is already hard enough for the teenage mums.
@FaithOneya; [email protected]
