ATTENDEES at the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) State of the World Report 2013 launched earlier this week, at Regency Suites Hotel, heard heartfelt testimonies from two beneficiaries of the Women Across Differences (WAD) Comprehensive Empowerment Programme for teenage mothers. At the launch, two young mothers, Indira Austin and Tiffany Hunt, reflected upon the challenges and hardships they dealt with as adolescent mothers in Guyana and expressed their gratitude to the organisation and its facilitators for the hope and self-confidence acquired throughout their stint.
Each young mother shared their respective story highlighting the challenges teenage mothers face in today’s society such as stigma and discrimination, domestic violence and poverty. In both cases there was an overwhelming display of strength and endurance that left the audience surprised but proud.
“Women Across Differences assisted me with personal development, sexual reproductive health and provided information which helped me to realise that I can get educated and still be successful despite having a baby at a young age,” said Indira Austin who mothered a baby at age 14.
Tiffany Hunt, on the other hand, who found herself mothering two children in her late teens stated, “WAD was able to give me a chance to become qualified and educated.” Since becoming a WAD beneficiary, Hunt was able to become a qualified married woman who expects to graduate from the University of Guyana in 2016.
The WAD Comprehensive Empowerment Programme for Adolescent Mothers is a programme targeted at girls between the ages of 12-19 years old. It seeks to reduce unplanned pregnancies among adolescent mothers by building self-confidence, providing entrepreneurial knowledge and skills and enhancing the lifestyle and competencies among such mothers.
In a telephone interview with WAD coordinator Clonel Samuels-Boston, Guyana Chronicle was told that the programme is a year-long project that started in 2008. Today WAD is on their fourth batch of beneficiaries who will be graduating in December this year.
The programme is directed at three broad training areas – Personal Development, Sexual Reproductive Health and Entrepreneurial Development. Each bears several respective sub-areas and in addition to the main training areas, WAD also offers their beneficiaries’ psycho-social support in the form of a mentoring programme that is provided for both past and present participants. In that way, the relationship is maintained even after graduation.
WAD’s Comprehensive Empowerment Programme for adolescent mothers began as a community project with door-to-door visits that gradually took on a ‘snowball’ effect as it gained the attention and appreciation of the general public. Today most of their beneficiaries are referred from the Georgetown Public Hospital, the Child Care and Protection Agency and various health centres around Georgetown.
(By Tash Van Doimen)
