*TW: Sexual abuse. This story contains content that some may find upsetting.
In the Gahini area near Kayonza, a group of women has established a savings and loan association with the help of SOS Children’s Villages. The association was founded four years ago and today has around 50 members. Among them, 20 are teenage mothers, and the group provides special support for them.
The group leaders reach out to the young mothers to offer advice. They visit the teenage mothers at home and listen to their challenges and concerns.
Teenage mothers often feel very isolated and risk being ostracised by their families and abandoned by their friends. The leaders of the VSLA group reassure them that having a child is not the end of the world and help them regain their footing.
When the entire group meets, it is both to deposit their savings with the group’s treasurer and to share everyday frustrations. The group gives all the women, and especially the teenage mothers, a sense of belonging to a community.
During one of the group’s meetings, four young mothers shared their stories:
Esther, 18 years old, a mother to an 18 month old daughter.
“I became pregnant during my second year of secondary school. I felt very lonely and desperate. One of my friends was a member of the VSLA group and convinced me to join. I thought my life was ruined, but because of the group, I’ve realised that I can still have a good life, even though I’m a mother.”
“The biggest problem is that the fathers of our children do not take responsibility. Their attitude is completely wrong.”
Diana Batamuriza, 25 years old, a mother to two children aged 2.5 and 5 years.
“I didn’t grow up with my parents but with other family members who didn’t treat me well. I left home and went to Uganda, where I met a man and became pregnant. We knew each other only briefly, and he is no longer part of my life.”
Bernadette, 18 years old, a mother to a 15 months old son.
“My parents couldn’t afford to support me as I was growing up. When I was in the 4th grade, I asked them to buy school notebooks, but they couldn’t. I dropped out of school and started working as a housemaid for an older woman. In her house, there was also a boy working as a houseboy, and he raped me.”
“When I found out I was pregnant, I went to the authorities. They said I could get an abortion because I had been raped. But I decided to keep the child because I saw that other girls also had children. I thought I could manage.”
“I returned to my parents, but they disowned me because of the pregnancy. So, I rented a room on my own and worked as a day labourer on other people’s farms, earning about 5 Rwandan francs a day. But it was hard to get work in the fields because I was so young and small.”
“I eventually had to go back to my parents, but they refused to share food with me and my child. I went to the church to beg for food for my child.”
“Today, my situation is the same. I still work as a day labourer in the fields and live with my parents. I dream of starting a small business and having a stable income. In my shop, I would sell rice, plantains, and sweet potatoes. I hope I can get support to open a small business.”
Francine Mukahakizimana, a mother to a 9 months old child.
“My mother is dead, and my father is in prison. My older sister has taken care of me, and I still live with her. The father of my child has disappeared, and I don’t know where he is. When I gave birth, my sister paid the hospital bill, which was very expensive. She struggled to afford food afterwards. We are so financially strained that I can’t afford soap or clothes for my child. I need help because I have a physical disability that prevents me from working.”
*Name changed for privacy.