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Have you ever sought for something so hard but every time you thought you finally found it, it was taken away from you? That has been the experience of many teenage mothers in our care who are in pursuit of education. At Ubani, we firmly believe that education will go a long way in breaking the cycle of poverty and opening a world of possibilities for our beneficiaries. Much as education is a right and no child should be stopped from getting this, our experience in supporting the teenage mothers in our program has proved otherwise.
The stigma around being young mothers stems from the assumptions within our communities that these girls are of loose morals. This has made many schools not to admit our girls into their programs because of fear that our girls will be of negative influence to the other students. The doors being closed right in front of them without anyone caring to listen to their stories and pleas.
We desire and we will fight to change this narrative. We will fight to see these girls not only get an education but good education. We will advocate for them as we raise them to advocate for other young mothers.
An incident happened towards the end of last year where one of our girls was denied a chance at a school. To say I was angry was an understatement. This somewhat strengthened my resolve to committing to supporting teenage mothers through their journey in seeking good education. Maybe it is for us to establish a school that has proper systems and is fully committed to offering education for these young mothers. As we ponder on way forward as an institution, my challenge for us, who will read this article, what are you doing in your own little or big space to be an advocate for change? What are you doing to fight injustices around you?