Teenage pregnancies & gender based violence
Every day in Peru, 11 girls aged 10 to 14
become pregnant, as a result of sexual violence.
Teenage pregnancies remain a large problem in the region. Desarrollo Integral del Adolescente (Dia), translated as ‘Adolescent Development’, is Solid’s social organization in Ayacucho, Peru, which specifically addresses the issues of teenage pregnancy and gender-based violence against young girls.
The risk of young girls ending up on the streets with no education, poor parenting skills and no hope of a future, is a problem we at Solid are determined to help tackle.
Coaching
In Ayacucho, 17 out of every 100 teenage girls, aged 15 to 19, are pregnant or mothers. Most of these girls come from a poor background, living in the poor districts of Ayacucho. Many of them are in a vulnerable situation, living in the midst of abandonment, violence, lack of schooling and poverty. Due to their young age and the situation in which they live, they express limited management of their emotions both for themselves and in their role as mothers.
For this reason, the EMMA project has been implemented to improve the parenting skills and the emotional well-being of these young parents. With a team of midwives and social workers, the project yearly works with 100 girls aged 12 to 18 years old, with children under 3 years old.
By strengthening skills, knowledge and self-esteem, the project want to reconnect these girls to health services, the educational system, legal protective measures and support programs provided by the state or other organizations, and break the vicious cycle of violence and poverty.
Education
Many of the teenage girls drop out of school when they become pregnant, due to financial reasons, discrimination, abandonment by their parents or due to an overprotective partner. This directly leads to a stagnation in their personal development, limiting them even more when trying to obtain a well-paid job in the future. Leaving them with a low quality of life for them and their baby.
Re-integrating these girls into the educational system , until finishing their high school education, contributes to their personal development and provides a way to escape a poor future. A tutor at Solid accompanies the girls from the coaching program in their enrolment, connects them with available grants, continuously motivates them and monitors their educational progress.
Shelter
The residential care center (CAR) is set up for 18 teenage mothers, aged 12 to 18 years old, together with their children. All the girls staying at the shelter are victims of sexual and/or family violence, and are referred by the special child protection unit, or by the court. We intend to provide them with a safe environment to stabilise their situation and make growth possible again.
During their stay, the girls are accompanied by a multidisciplinary team of health workers, teachers, social workers and psychologists, to intervene in a comprehensive manner. The aim is to work with the family towards a safe home environment, to return to. But sometimes independent living is the only secure option.
Prevention
Our prevention program against teenage pregnancies in Ayacucho, Peru, has a clear and urgent goal: to put a stop to the increasing numbers of teenage pregnancies in the region. The program focuses on access to healthcare and contraception, by collaborating with health providers to tailor a differentiated approach for young people.
Many young people have some knowledge about contraception, but its use is limited due to machismo, prejudices, misbeliefs and discrimination when it comes to access. Therefore, the project works intensively with healthcare workers and young people to lower barriers and provide correct information.
Additionally, the program works directly with a group of vulnerable students, in building their self-esteem and decision making, through art activities.
teenage mothers have
been accompanied
of teenage mothers in coaching
don't abandon their studies
of teenage mothers in coaching
prevent a second pregnancy
Our impact
Explore our impact report to learn more about our work guiding teenage mothers, preventing teenage pregnancies, and our shelter home in the fight against gender-based violence. Discover what drives our team, the stories and numbers.
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