By Annonciata BYUKUSENGE
Some teen mothers say that the reason they fell into deception of pregnancy is because they were not informed about reproductive health.
Teen mothers from Gakenke and Musanze districts, Northern Province only understood the gap that they had in regard to the matter during a training that was conducted by Bamporeze organization through sponsorship of the Global Fund/CCM in its programs intended to end HIV, Malaria and Tuberculosis.
The teen mothers said that the skills they got about reproductive health equipped them with tools to protect themselves against unwanted pregnancies.
They will also use these skills to sensitize their teen neighbors against behaviours that may expose them.
Emertha Musabyimana one of the beneficiaries of this training from Gakenke district said that before joining the programme she had quite little or no knowledge about reproductive health and HIV infection causes.
“I was in Secondary School when I asked my mother to explain me about reproductive health and HIV prevention. Instead of helping me, she rebuked me and said that by asking those questions, I was violating the Rwandan culture,” Musabyimana recalls.
“On a second attempt when I asked her, she rebuked me even severely and told me that if I dared to ask such a question again she would report me to dad. I gave up and went to search that information from my peers.”
In the process however, an adult aged 28 years old defiled Musabyimana who got pregnant.
Marie Louise Umutesi another teen mother from Musanze gave birth when she was 15 years old and her parents told her that she had lost her esteem in the society, which resulted into discrimination.
“When I was pregnant I went hungry on several occasions, because my parents rejected me. It’s only after joining the Global Fund/CCM Rwanda training through Bamporeze that my parents try to approach me, because they believe, that the training transformed me to an extent they no longer fear for my life,” Umutesi said.
The teen mothers say that after the training about reproductive health, they started to share skills with their neighbors and they hope that this will decrease early pregnancies.
In the last two years, the Global Fund/CCM Rwanda through Bamporeze trained 150 teen mothers from Gakenke and Musanze in Northern Province and Nyabihu district from the Western Province.
Some teen mothers say that the reason they fell into deception of pregnancy is because they were not informed about reproductive health.
Teen mothers from Gakenke and Musanze districts, Northern Province only understood the gap that they had in regard to the matter during a training that was conducted by Bamporeze organization through sponsorship of the Global Fund/CCM in its programs intended to end HIV, Malaria and Tuberculosis.
The teen mothers said that the skills they got about reproductive health equipped them with tools to protect themselves against unwanted pregnancies.
They will also use these skills to sensitize their teen neighbors against behaviours that may expose them.
Emertha Musabyimana one of the beneficiaries of this training from Gakenke district said that before joining the programme she had quite little or no knowledge about reproductive health and HIV infection causes.
“I was in Secondary School when I asked my mother to explain me about reproductive health and HIV prevention. Instead of helping me, she rebuked me and said that by asking those questions, I was violating the Rwandan culture,” Musabyimana recalls.
“On a second attempt when I asked her, she rebuked me even severely and told me that if I dared to ask such a question again she would report me to dad. I gave up and went to search that information from my peers.”
In the process however, an adult aged 28 years old defiled Musabyimana who got pregnant.
Marie Louise Umutesi another teen mother from Musanze gave birth when she was 15 years old and her parents told her that she had lost her esteem in the society, which resulted into discrimination.
“When I was pregnant I went hungry on several occasions, because my parents rejected me. It’s only after joining the Global Fund/CCM Rwanda training through Bamporeze that my parents try to approach me, because they believe, that the training transformed me to an extent they no longer fear for my life,” Umutesi said.
The teen mothers say that after the training about reproductive health, they started to share skills with their neighbors and they hope that this will decrease early pregnancies.
In the last two years, the Global Fund/CCM Rwanda through Bamporeze trained 150 teen mothers from Gakenke and Musanze in Northern Province and Nyabihu district from the Western Province.
