Helping the Next Generation Plan Their Futures

There are 1.2 billion adolescents in the world today — the largest generation of young people in history. And as they begin entering their reproductive years, the world is on the cusp of a demographic tipping point.

Today’s adolescents are uniquely positioned to unlock unprecedented economic growth in the world’s poorest countries. But if they enter this next chapter of their lives without the tools and support they need to protect their futures, there’s another scenario that could come to pass. The world could see a wave of teenage pregnancies with devastating costs.

How do we support these young people with the information and services they need to seize this better future? That’s the question we’ll be trying to answer next week when family planning advocates from all over the world come together in London. I truly believe the conversation around contraceptives is one of the most important conversations the world will have this year.

While I’m there, I’ll be thinking about the stories behind the statistics — young people I’ve met who have big plans for themselves and for the world. They’re a reminder of what’s possible and what’s at stake.

Here are three of the stories that I carry in my heart.

Ann Mitu

Like most high school students, Ann Mitu imagined her teenage years ending with a diploma. Instead, she told me, “I got a positive pregnancy test.”

Ann lives in Eastleigh, an informal settlement — better known as a slum — in Nairobi. And like a lot of teenage mothers, she had to drop out of school.

At first, she struggled to find work. But then, she landed a role in Jongo Love, a film funded by an East African production company that works to educate and empower young people. When Ann read the script and saw that she’d be playing a teenage mother, she felt understood.

Filming that story — her story — lit a fire within Ann. She started a movement called Young Mothers Africa to encourage young mothers to think about their futures, whether that means going back to school or finding a good alternative. She also encourages them to use contraceptives. “We didn’t plan for our first baby,” she tells them, “but we should definitely plan for our second.”

“If we lose our girls to teenage pregnancy, who will be the leaders of tomorrow?”

Ann knows the stakes are high — not only for these young women, but for her country. As she puts it: “If we lose our girls to teenage pregnancy, who will be the leaders of tomorrow?”

Shawn Wambua

Like a lot of men in his community (and around the world, for that matter), the only message Shawn Wambua received about family planning was that it’s a “women’s issue.” In other words, it was something for women to worry about — and for men to ignore. But now that he’s a dad himself, Shawn is doing everything he can to change that message.

Like many community activists I’ve met, Shawn’s passion is personal. When he was just 20, his girlfriend Damaris got pregnant, something neither of them were planning on. “I don’t need to let anyone else out there face what I faced,” he said.

That’s why he launched a campaign called Ndugus for Dadas, or Brothers for Sisters. Every Saturday, Shawn meets with a group of young men and leads a discussion on family planning — sharing his story, listening to theirs, and offering advice.

Shawn and Damaris are now married and happily raising their daughter, Cherish. But resources are tight, so they aren’t planning to have more kids any time soon. Shawn lovingly describes Cherish as “a beneficiary of family planning,” because her parents use contraceptives to make sure they’re able to give her the best life they possibly can.

Nanda Saputri

Nanda Saputri is an Eleanor Roosevelt–quoting, Michelle Obama–admiring, 21-year-old Balinese woman who dreams of being Indonesia’s Minister of Women’s Empowerment.

When I met her in Indonesia earlier this year, she told me she volunteers for an organization called the GenRe Forum, which teaches young women and low-income children about reproductive health. As a volunteer, Nanda encourages women to plan and space their pregnancies, so that they can give each child the attention it deserves.

Nanda has no intention of getting married any time soon, but she’s already decided that when she does, she’s going to use contraceptives to space her pregnancies. “It’s an investment I’m making in me and my children,” she says.