Motherhood should be a choice
Part 1
We are starting our Mother’s Day celebration early because we think mothers should be celebrated every day. Motherhood is a 24/7 job that requires equal parts love, nurturing, tenacity and courage. In honor of Mother’s Day, our Motherhood Should Be a Choice series tells the stories of women who are choosing their own futures for themselves and their families.
Here are the stories of two young mothers who believe that age should not limit women’s access to contraceptive care.
Young women and girls face many barriers when they try to access sexual and reproductive health services. MSI recognizes that adolescent women face obstacles regarding their age, marital status, and limited income, so we are adapting our traditional delivery models to serve them.
Aminata
Aminata Kabba is from Bo District in Sierra Leone and was just like every other 15-year-old. She dreamed of becoming a nurse, and she spent her days going to school and hanging out with her friends. But that all changed when she became pregnant.
Although her boyfriend offers some financial support, he lives and works several miles away and is therefore unable to help with the everyday realities of raising their child.
“The major work I do now is to take care of my child, and fetch water to the house,” Aminata said. “I don’t work. I am only a school dropout due to pregnancy. I am not happy that my friends are in school while I am at home nursing a baby. I can no longer play with them because my child is always crying for me to carry her.”
Sadly, Aminata’s fate is not unusual. In her own friend group, two other girls also became pregnant at 15. Globally, many young women are socialized to believe that contraceptive care is only accessible to married women, and statistics show the impact of this narrative. In 2013, Sierra Leone recorded the 7th highest teenage pregnancy rate in the world, with more than a third of girls having their first baby before the age of 18.
MSI Sierra Leone strives to make contraceptive care available to all women who want it. When Aminata met with local MSI health workers from her community, they discussed the opportunities she would have if she completed her education. Aminata decided that contraception would allow her to finish her education worry-free.
“With contraception, I am empowered to return to school and proceed to college to achieve my dreams.”
Allowing women and adolescent girls to decide if and when they’re ready to become mothers helps them achieve their potentials. When young mothers like Aminata have access to reproductive care, they are empowered to stay in school and earn an income.
Praise
Praise Chimota is an 18-year-old from Chingurunguru, Zimbabwe. She is married with a new baby, and recently walked two hours to an outreach clinic to receive a birth control implant.
Praise and her husband would like to expand their family in the future, but for now their priorities are focusing on their baby, getting their farming business off the ground and building their first home together.
“I am enjoying watching [my son] grow because every day there is something new about him,” Praise explains. “I decided to start an implant because we want to raise our child that we currently have before we have another one.”
Our services are a great fit for women in every stage of their lives, including a young mom like Praise who now has control of her reproductive decisions. We are proud to support her as she works to build her family’s stability and security.
To Praise, Aminata, and to all amazing mothers worldwide, happy Mother’s Day.
Click here to read Part Two of the Motherhood Should Be a Choice series.
Click here to read Part Three of the Motherhood Should Be a Choice series.
