With the rising number of teen pregnancies, many school-going girls have missed the opportunity to continue with their studies due to early pregnancy or the stigma that it comes with.
Data from the Kenya Health Information Systems shows a total of 110,821 pregnancies were recorded among adolescents aged between the ages of 10 to 19 in the first five months of 2023.
Of the total, 6,110 were among adolescents aged between 10 to 14 years while another 104,711 were between the ages of 15 and 19.
Some of these girls were victims of rape, while others were abandoned by those responsible for the pregnancies after the act and had to deal with the consequences.
While some teen mothers get support from their families to continue with their studies, others do not and are forced out of school, where they end up in early marriages.
This is part of the reason why Elizabeth Wanjiru Muriuki decided to put up a school that would allow all teen mothers to continue with their studies. Wanjiru started the institution after her own experience.
Why over-age KCPE candidates were not placed in secondary schools – CS Machogu
She revealed she got pregnant at the age of 18, soon after completing High School, and coping with the aftermath wasn’t easy for her.
Located in Nyeri, Serene Haven Girls Secondary School gives second mothers a second chance to complete their education. The school admits both the mother and the baby.
Many of the girls at the institution are between the ages of 13 and 16 and were forced out of their local schools. According to Wanjiru, most of the girls are orphans and got pregnant through rape.
“There are some girls who come here and are really downcast, they feel like this is the end of the world. I start with giving them my story … they are really encouraged – like ‘Ah, if you can do it, we can also do it.” Said Wanjiru,
The institution provides teen mothers with free education, shelter, food, and clothes. The babies are also given proper health care and taken good care of while the mother attends classes.
While her wish is to accommodate as many girls as possible, financial problems have been the main hindrance, and this sometimes forces them to turn down learners since they are already financially stretched.
