18-year-old Christine Droma, a resident of Namuwongo slum and a mother to a bouncing little girl could not help but bury her longtime dream of becoming a doctor has given birth at as early as 16 years of age.
Growing up in a family of eight under the stewardship of a single mother who would occasionally be helped by a step-father, Christine who comes third of the six siblings, a Senior Two student by then trolled a distance of 4.6 km from Mbiko town to the streets of Jinja to fetch for what seemed missing home.
Christine, whose judicious nature had earned her a right to sponsorship couldn’t help but spend most of her learning time contemplating of where the books to pen down her notice would come from.
From the continued pressure over school requirements to thriving on an empty stomach, Christine’s desire to put a break on her long-term mishaps in school ushered her into the 2019 lockdown salvation but yet another raw deal to her bad break.
With her mother’s guidance, Christine worked as a waitress at a restaurant in Jinja but this could not last long as much earned commission was spent on hiked Lockdown transport fares, she later ventured into juice vending saw her get a daily customer who later turned to be her first boyfriend and a father to her child.
The 23-year-old man sent Christine packing for her juice job, a deceitful life, and pregnancy that cost her family, education, and career.
From that unfortunate experience, Christine became one of the members of Touch the Slum, a community-based charity organist ion that aims at eradicating extreme poverty and facilitating a long change in the lives of vulnerable young mothers and children through character development and vocational skills.
“On joining the organization, I attained hope restoration with achievements which include this achievement here of graduating as a fashion star.”
Speaking at the third graduation, Ms. Alma Conex, the Chief Guest picking leaves from Christine’s experience urged all graduates included to remain optimistic and never be afraid to walk and knock on any opportunistic door.
Conex, a journalist turned beauty specialist and fashion star notes that
While the market job structure remains unwelcoming to many, young girls and women needed to reach out to people and create more opportunities in their lives.
“The least that the world could say to these traumatized young females is a no, this however doesn’t mean that you’re not good and should never limit yourself from looking for better opportunities,” Conex noted.
Stretching for inner strength, collaborations and creativity could take young women and girls a long way in solving African girl child community problems.
Mariam Namusabi, the founding Director of Arise Women Empowerment Center (AWEC) Africa in Jinja noted that many teenage mothers become hopeless especially since they become mothers before they are not ready enough. She says, however, with the right skills many young girls have been able to regain their hope and also their value.
“Am glad that once teen mothers gain these life skills there is a certain hope they receive and learn to appreciate their value once more. This is a life-giving opportunity to these young women since empowering a woman is empowering a nation,” Namusabi said. Adding that its therefore never an end to a career for those that have gotten pregnant but however, but a nine-month journey that should be trekked together with the support of the family as these girls still have a lot to offer.
In efforts to narrow gaps of experiences similar to Christine’s, she urged for more awareness and sensitization to overturn not only the increasing numbers of teenage pregnancies but also encourage men to take up their roles in supporting their families as many girls have succumbed to these temptations.
Ronald Eligu, the CEO of Touch The Slum noted that graduating teen mothers was not just a ceremony but a celebration of teen mothers’ efforts and youth that drop out of school to let them know that everything is possible and can be achieved from broken dreams.
“We have limited resources however when we expand we are going to try and make it possible for every single teenage mom and dropouts to get a chance to be skilled and helped through life,” Eligu emphasized.
DaParrot will run similar stories in the ‘Her Story’ Project starting November 25 to December 10, in observance of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence
