Hooray for Teenage Mothers in Siaya As Imarisha Msichana Project Ensures Return to Class

Tracing and re-admission of teenage mothers back to class has received a major boost after stakeholders committed to join FAWEK to realize it’s objective.

FAWEK and Mastercard Foundation have inked a deal to facilitate the Imaarisha Msichana project whose objective it to foster teenage mothers re-admission back to school.

According to Coordinator for Imaarisha Msichana project Evaline Nyamunga, they have formed a formidable force to ensure girls are retained in school after admission.

“In a meeting that brought together stakeholders including government officials from Departments of Education, interior, children and Boda-boda operators, we resolved to help teenage mothers readmitted back to school be comfortable and learn without any interferences.”

Nyamunga also said:
“We have crafted a comprehensive strategy to address the girls’ shortcomings one being, deploying of coun to offer psychological services to them so as to embrace redicules.
Nyamunga says most of the girls re-admitted are uncomfortable in schools Including their new institutions.

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Most of the teenage mothers who gets readmitted after delivering their babies drop out for fear of victimization.

“Stigmatisation hampers girls dreams for education though the code is compelling head teachers to re-admitted back the girls in the education institutions,” said Nyamunga.

“Our bid to trace and ree-admit girls to schools is unstoppable infact its now strengthened because of the stakeholders that have joined us to achieve the objective,” said
Siaya’s teenage pregnancy stands at 21 percent with Ugenya sub-county leading in the vice.
“West Sakwa in Bondo recorded 457 cases in 2022 and the cases could be more because the numbers were recorded as per those who attended the first Antinatal care.
Most of the teenage mothers are aged between 15-19 but Alego/Usonga sub-county have teenage mothers of ages 10-14.
Nyamunga added that their objective is to ensure teenage pregnancy and child marriage does not thrive in Siaya County.

In Nyamula Sub-location, we had returned to class some three teenage mothers while a girl was readmitted to Obambo Secondary School after she delivered.

“We have also come up with monitoring strategies and we shall empower every teenage mothers as a way of ensuring they dont drop out of school,” she added
To fight stigma in schools, we helped girls establish”tiseme clubs” that has empowered girls to an extent of sharing their accademic lives.

The Deputy Director of Gender and Social Services Maida Nyawade assured Siaya residents that government is committed towards fighting the triple threats; Teenage pregnancies, new HIV/AIDS, and Sexual/Gender based Violence.

“We are committed towards fostering re-admission of girls to school. We have realised that if we do not retain girls in school then we are perpetuating the cycle of poverty against our children.