SEVERAL teenage mothers from the Sophia Health Centre received advice on education, employment and other opportunities during a recent forum hosted by the Public Health Ministry’s Food Policy Division on Tuesday.

The programme was attended by pregnant and post-natal mothers who, collectively, presented crucial questions to a panel of seven government health representatives and non-government organisations.

These included Adolescent Health Services Officer, Dr. Travis Freeman; Public Health Nutritionist of the Food Policy Division, Jillian Trim; Mental Health Unit, Social Worker Janeil Osborne; Mental Health Unit, Psychologist, Mosa Hutson; Small Business Bureau (SBB) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Lovell Porter; Guyana Foundation Sunrise Centre Manager, Miriam Roberts-Hinds; and Executive Director, Youth Challenge Guyana, Dimitri Nicholson.
One of the pressing questions was based on employment opportunities available for teen mothers who have completed their studies.

Roberts-Hinds encouraged the teens not only to seek employment but to utilise their skills and talents in the field of entrepreneurship.

“Many times when you think about jobs, you think about a job that people can offer you. What about the skills that you already have that you can build upon? How many of you can do hair well? How many of you can do nails well? How many of you do it for free? That’s how you can get money. It’s not always the job that somebody can give you but what can you use with the skills that you already have,” she said.

Meanwhile, Nicholson indicated that Youth Challenge Guyana is available to help teen moms with training in community-based agriculture and resume writing skills to enter the workforce.

“Our role is not to find you a job, our role is to help you with the skills that make your job search more effective, more efficient.”

At the same time, for those contemplating developing their own job opportunities, SBB CEO Lovell Porter explained to them the options available.

OPTIONS

He stated that while the US$5 million grant from Norway comes to an end in October, the government-provided $100M Revolving Fund can see persons receiving between $400,000 to $600,000 for business development.

However, while this will provide a hassle-free process compared to utilising the bank, Porter said that the women will need to ensure that all stipulated requirements and guidelines are met.

“We want to lend that money to you because we believe in small businesses. We believe that small businesses are the backbone of any developing country. So we will make it easier for you to borrow that money at the same six per cent [proposed by banks],” he said.

He added: “You will have to come up with your business plan and we’re very, very serious about that. We found that many persons asked somebody to write their plan for them and then when you sit down and ask them about it, they have no clue.”
The women also queried about training opportunities for those without Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) subjects which, in many cases, puts them at a disadvantage.
Nicholson said while he knows of training opportunities available to youths in general, he is unaware of any such tailored for teenage mothers.

However, Youth Challenge Guyana was presented as a viable option, along with the Carnegie School of Home Economics, Government Technical Institute (GTI), Guyana Industrial Training Centre (GITC) and the specialists in Sustained Youth Development and Research (SSYDR) programme which all provide opportunities for young girls.
Meanwhile, Freeman spoke of the collaborations between the Ministries of Public Health and Education which sees aid in this regard available at other organisations such as Women Across Differences (WAD).

Added to this is the provision of a Community Parenting Support Group at the Sophia Health Centre facilitated by the Health Ministry’s Adolescent Health Unit.
Other questions posed included managing child rearing and employment as a teen and dealing with the added stress of a new baby.

SUPPORT SYSTEM
The panelists advised that the women develop a strong social support system of trusted individuals; secure a safe daycare through careful research and follow beneficial health guidelines for themselves and their child.

As recent as Monday, the Ministry of Education and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) launched a national policy for the reintegration of adolescent mothers into the formal education system.

The new policy will make it mandatory for schools to provide a safe environment for teen mothers to continue their education and is geared towards the prevention of adolescent pregnancy.