GUYANA’s First Lady, Mrs. Sandra Granger, has contended that an inter-ministry approach should be fostered to give effective support to teenage girls and mothers by targeting young females of particular communities and educating them on sexual and reproductive health.Working with the various ministries to roll out different projects, the First Lady has started a number of programmes. However, she said a collaborative effort is needed to strengthen the foundation among these target groups and communities.

“I started to think that maybe (the) Communities Ministry can get involved, so that they can have the centres where young people can learn about sexual and reproductive health, learn life skills, get some educational training…. Social Protection, Social Cohesion and Public Health, all these ministries can plan how they can strengthen communities, so you will have less vulnerability,” the First Lady told the Government Information Agency (GINA).

Government ministries play an important role in implementing policies and systems that can lay the groundwork for empowerment of women and young girls. Additionally, teenaged mothers would be able to benefit from new programmes and support systems put in place by these ministries. These individuals usually depend on extensive support.

“When you think about these young people with their lives before them, what they are going to be and how this mother will impact her child, she can’t do it if she is working (for) a minimum wage. Maybe she goes to work as a guard, she works at three (pm), ‘Oh, X didn’t turn up, so you have to stay until tomorrow morning,’ so what is happening to her kids? You know, we have to be realistic,” the First Lady explained.

The First Lady is a patron of the non-governmental organisation (NGO) Women Across Differences (WAD), and is an advocate for its Mothers for Change programme for adolescent mothers. She has been working with NGOs that target these young mothers, creating support groups within the respective communities as well as obtaining donations to help mothers who struggle to find jobs and other sources of income. The NGO also helps mothers who may not have completed their education.

“Some of them want to go back to school to finish their education, and we help them with that. Some of them want to do Cosmetology, Child Care and Care for the Elderly, and we facilitate that as well,” the First Lady explained.

She said the Self-Reliance and Success in Business certificate programme is another avenue from which these young ladies benefit.

The Government Information Agency (GINA) has said that, at the end of the programme, participants should know how to run a business, how to keep records, and how to examine the business market, among other principles.

The First Lady has recognised that Guyana has one of the highest rates of teenage pregnancy within the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), while that grouping carries the second highest rate in the world.

“The largest concentration of teenage mothers is in the Sophia area, so we really have to see what we can do to help these girls,” Mrs. Granger said.