MFURA Foundation’s Teen Mothers who graduated in Tailoring look ahead for a brighter future

By The Inspirer writer. 

39 Teen Mothers who were impregnated at their childhood ages from Kigabiro sector, Rwamagana district have graduated in Tailoring as one of the supports by MFURA Foundation Organization.

The teen mothers who have been acquiring hands-on skills in tailoring are the first batch of MFURA Foundation’s beneficiaries who started with the move last year in 2020.

MFURA Foundation helps teen mothers to cope with normal life through a free Vocational Training Programme in Tailoring, Job creation skills, Gender and Sexual Reproductive Health Education among others.

Shadia Icyimpaye, one of the graduated teen mothers said that they were living a better life when they were still at school before they get tempted into lures and get impregnated.

On behalf of her colleagues, Icyimpaye thanked MFURA Foundation for the impeccable consideration and support in transforming their lives.

“We started to lose hope of life when we got pregnant, becoming a mother at such a young age of ours is not easy, we thank MFURA Foundation for many achievements to make us who we are today, they gave us free counseling services, we were taught to improve nutrition for our children, we learnt saving, love and how to design projects, we can now establish our own projects and contribute to our families and country’s development as well.” she said.

These teen mothers were given certificates of completion and new tailoring machines each, plus an amount of RWF1,950,000 as a startup capital to run their businesses in a new tailoring workshop where they will work as an association.

MFURA Foundation will be paying the rent for their work place for the first three months and supervise their activities during the first 12 months.

Vestine Uwimana, the representative of the parents of the teen mothers who graduated commended the efforts by Mfurayabo who managed to change the mindset of the parents whose children were impregnated, advising them to reintegrate their children in the families.

“Parents of Kigabiro sector, we are now happy and satisfied with the significant support by Mfurayabo, after our children were impregnated, we had lost parental care for them, some of us abandoned them, Mfurayabo told us that our children got accident of early pregnancy and advised us to support them, I have hope that these teen mothers will become descent mothers in the future.” Uwimana said.

Marie Clarisse Mfurayabo, Founder and Country Director of MFURA Foundation said that they plan to help the teen mothers to return to school as most of them drop out after being impregnated.

“We have a responsibility to protect the teen mothers and their children, ensure their wellbeing and knowledge development, it is the reason why we are planning to build an Early Child Development Centre (ECD) to help children of teen mothers learn at the same time when their mothers are acquiring TVET skills in tailoring.” She noted.   

The organization, since its inception in 2019 is still using its own resources to provide teen mothers with a package of supports including free Vocational Training Programme in Tailoring, Job creation skills, Gender and Sexual Reproductive Health Education, food security and nutrition education where they managed to cultivate vegetables in the smart vegetable gardens.

She requested Rwamagana district officials to help these teen mothers get business deals in order to advance their activities.

Radjab Mbonyumuvunyi, Mayor of Rwamagana District said that  local authorities help Mfura Foundation to identify these teen mothers and work hand in hand with them with other organizations to cater for these children.

“After they faced all the challenges including being abandoned by parents, we are partnering with Mfura Foundation and Réseaux Des Femmes to integrate abandoned teen mothers in their families and we proceed by helping them acquire vocational training skills to plan for the future economic development.” Mbonyumuvunyi said. 

MFURA Foundation ensures socio-economic reintegration and well-being of teen mothers in the society and facilitates their meaningful progress towards sustainable human development, inclusion and stability.