“No child should be victim of pre-mature pregnancy” ̶  Habimfura

By Xaverine Cyiza.

Teen pregnancies remain a challenge that hinder development of the child, the family and the nation. Innocent Habimfura, Country Director of Hope and Homes for Children (HHC) has reminded the community to protect children from this burden as no child should be the victim.

Habimfura made this call on Friday, September 15, 2023 as HHC closes a week-long campaign in Gikondo sector, Kicukiro district to ensure child protection and foster inclusivity among the families that most of the times abandon teen mothers.

The campaign that gathered children and youth from Kigarama and Gikondo sectors in different sports and gaming disciplines was concluded with a competition to let children prove their talents.

Habimfura embarks on the theme of the campaign dubbed: “Inclusive family, a family that achieves a child’s potentials,”

He says that an inclusive family should cater for teen mothers once this situation happens, we have a program that supports 250 teen mothers in Kicukiro district.

He says that the week-long campaign aimed at attracting and gathering youth together through sports and gaming such as football, IGISORO, Drama Dance, poems, Game of roles, etc.

“Many people came to watch the football match of both girls and boys’ teams. The fans are the citizens from Kigarama and Gikondo sectors and among them are some men who impregnate adolescent girls, what it means is that we managed to give them messages in regard with child protection especially preventing pre-mature pregnancies, there is a hope that our objectives were attained when we compare their participation rate during 7 days of this campaign,” Habimfura said.

Zahra Kamaliza, 19, one of teen mothers from Gikondo Sector, Kicukiro district says that such competitions help teen mothers to regain hope as sometimes, due to the tough life of early motherhood can even commit suicide.

“These competitions are vital because we meet and share life experience with our peers, through different talents, we relax and keep away the stigma,” Kamaliza says.

Ines Imanigabe, 17 is not a teen mother, but young adolescent girl who participated to the contest, she says the initiative helps to reduce stigma and to open mind of children to think beyond and to embrace their dreams.

Deborah Mujawabera, from Gikondo sector thanks the organization to help her embrace the situation after getting pregnant.

“Hope and Homes for Children found me at home after giving birth, I narrated them my history of how I was impregnated by an adult father of children, I was trained by HHC to embrace that situation,” Mujawabera says.

Franck Dushime from Gikondo, 18, says sometimes some girls lure themselves in prostitution and both girls and boys can suffer the consequences, either STIs and unwanted pregnancies.

He says the campaign leaves lessons to help the community to avoid such challenges.

“Sometimes girls ask for sex, and when we fail to leave it, we end up doing it; and boys on the other hand can hook girls using alcoholic beverages.” Dushime says.

He advises children to avoid participating in night parties as this is the time they drink alcohol and take drugs.

Médiatrice Umubyeyi, Executive Secretary of Kigarama sector says that the campaign was fruitful as it left some important lessons for the youth residents of this sector.

She says that there are positive lessons learnt among youth and parents beyond sports and gaming. A good example is that youth decided to leave out negative thinking of delinquency and embrace vocational education and training with the support of their parents.

“We partner with Hope and Homes for Children to educate and to support teen mothers, but we do not have a big number of them in Kigarama sector, we have only 16.” She says.

She adds that such an initiative of competitions and talent detection among the youths should be an ongoing activity to help communities boost education of children with a good vision.

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