“I started to develop self-confidence and love” – Ombi’s story from the Teen Mother Project

Since 2022, you’ve helped 252 teenage mothers from Rwanda reclaim their power. Teenage mothers like Ombi.

When Ombi found out she was pregnant she was terrified. Still in secondary school, she dropped out of school and stayed at home.

Shamed for being young, pregnant and unmarried, Ombi was suffering. Until your donations helped her get back on her feet.

Finding support

The next few months were some of the darkest in Ombi’s life. She was unemployed, out of school and with a newborn baby to raise. Worse, she received no support from her family.

Thankfully, that’s when she found the Teen Mother Project.

What is the Teen Mother Project

The Teen Mother Project is our support network for young, vulnerable women in Kigali.

In Rwanda, teenage pregnancy has become a major national topic. Facing unemployment, poverty or discrimination, young women are at risk of giving up their babies. That means more children pushed into institutionalised care. More homes being torn apart.

But every child deserves to grow up with the love of family. And every young mother deserves independence. By supporting teenage mothers in Kigali, we’re tackling gender-based discrimination head on – keeping families together, and children out of orphanages.

And thanks to your donations, it’s working.

How does the Teen Mother Project work?

Our team works with community leaders to find and refer vulnerable young women in the community. Many have endured poverty, sexual abuse or food scarcity. Many have no support from their family members.

First, we provide financial support to ensure they have a roof over their heads, food on the table, and anything they need for their baby. Then, we invite them to our community hubs, where we provide counselling, family mediation, and whatever support they need to get back into school. Our team even provides grants to help teen mothers set up a small business.

Every teen mother we support is different, as are their paths to independence. But thanks to your support, we’re helping them pave their own way.

Sharing, healing and comfort

After being referred to the Project, our team invited Ombi to her first group counselling session. When she walked into the room and saw other young women in a similar situation, she was shocked. She realised she wasn’t alone.

 “I was helped to overcome fear, shame, and the feeling of isolation from society,” she says. “In group therapy sessions with hundreds of peers, we talked, shared critical experiences, healed each other, and comforted each other. I began to see myself as a normal person, not a burden to my family or a source of shame. I started to develop confidence and self-love.”

“I started to develop confidence and self-love.

 “My mother was also invited to a meeting at the community hub, along with other teen mothers and their parents,” she continues. “We discussed issues like fighting, discrimination, positive communication in the family, and the importance of forgiveness and understanding.”

With help from our team, their relationship improved. “My mother began to take care of my son and started talking to me again. A good mood returned to our home, and now my mother looks after my son while I work.”

 Looking to the future

Thanks to your support, everything’s now changed for Ombi. Your donations helped her go back to school, get a qualification, and find a job in a local salon. Now, she’s saving money, supporting herself, and, most importantly, raising her son with pride.

“I love my son, and I want him to prosper,” she says. “I am confident that I will achieve greater success than I have today. And as I grow and accumulate wealth, I want to create my own project to support teen mothers. This is my grand aspiration.”

“I love my son, and I want him to prosper,”

Looking back on the Teen Mother Project

Thanks to your continued support, our team in Rwanda has supported 252 young women through the Teen Mother Project. That’s 252 women, just like Ombi, who got the chance to reclaim their future. And the impact speaks for itself.

“When we met them, none of the girls were in school or even getting two meals a day. Only 15% had family support and 60% didn’t have enough money to take care of their children,” says Innocent Habimfura, Director of Hope and Homes for Children Rwanda . “Now, everything’s different. 80% are back in school, 94% have support from their families, and 92% have jobs allowing them to support themselves and their babies.”

“80% are back in school, 94% have support from their families, and 92% have jobs allowing them to support themselves and their babies.”

Innocent Habimfura

Now, we’re looking at replicating the Teen Mother Project across Rwanda, empowering an entire generation of young women. Thanks to your donations, we’re building a better tomorrow. A tomorrow where young women can be, and will be, anything they want to be.

If you’d like to hear more about our stories about the Teen Mother Project, as well as more heartwarming examples of the impact of your donations, sign up to our Mailing List. We’ll keep you up-to-date as we bring strength and stability #BackToFamily.

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* Names changed to protect identity.