Pregnant, homeless and jobless is not a good way to start any story. Fifteen-year-old Esther Wema found herself in this very situation which led her to turn to drugs and potent alcohol in order to drown out her problems, only to end up with more.
During the COVID-19 lockdown in Uganda in 2020, with nearly two years of school closures, Esther, who was in Senior Two, stopped going to school. Shortly afterwards, she ran away from abusive conditions at her uncle’s home in Namirembe, a Kampala suburb, and would often roam and sleep on the streets. She met a man who rented her a one-roomed structure in one of Kampala’s biggest slums _ Katanga. He later became the father of her child. When she gave birth at 15 years, Esther’s challenges seemed to increase, with abuse, joblessness and self-loathing.
Such was Esther’s life for two years, until she met Belinda one of the mentors under the GirlsEmpoweringGirls (GEG) social protection programme.
GirlsEmpoweringGirls is the first urban social protection programme in Uganda that seeks to ensure that in- and out-of-school adolescent girls living in Kampala transition safely into adulthood, and are empowered to achieve their goals, while contributing to their communities. Launched in 2019 by the Government of Uganda through Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) in partnership with UNICEF, and with funding from European Union and the Government of Belgium, the GEG Programme aims at strengthening the inclusive and gender-transformative social protection agenda in Uganda.
Through peer-to-peer mentorship, referral to services and cash transfers, GEG has so far supported 3,015 adolescent girls with specific focus on inclusion of girls with disabilities, urban refugees and pregnant/ teenage mothers, such as Esther.
“When we first met Esther, she was drunk, barely dressed and addicted to drugs, “says Belinda Ejoru, her mentor, adding “It also was evident she had not eaten in days.” Esther was enrolled onto the out-of-school component of GEG, upon recommendation of local leaders who identified vulnerable girls in Katanga.
Under GEG, each girl is assigned a mentor who she meets at least thrice a month for one-on-one and group mentoring. Though Esther eventually agreed to meet Belinda for weekly mentorship talks, she had to be cajoled into attending the monthly group mentorship or even the skilling sessions.
“I had zero self-confidence as I thought everyone looked down on me for being pregnant while so young, and that everyone could see the abuse I had been subjected to.”
With each mentorship session, Esther realised that she may not have chosen her circumstances, but she could choose her response.
“We tell them not to give up because teenage pregnancy does not mean it is over,” Esther’s mentor says.
Credit: Source link