Voices Awake believes that when orphaned and vulnerable children are placed in a loving family environment, with a mother and siblings who love them, the children find a place that they can call home. Unfortunately, many young girls become mothers too soon in Malawi, due to numerous different circumstances. This could also lead to new, unpleasant consequences for the girl who becomes pregnant - and we want to help her find a brighter path for herself and her child. 

 

Our teen mothers program aims to address the specific challenges a young mother or mother-to-be in our community faces, by providing her with the support, encouragement, or training that she requires to stand strong on her own two feet. The program is dynamic and customized for each girl, but it always begins with crucial conversations about her mindset: her baby is not the problem, and her future can be bright. 

 

In the course of this program, three of our young mothers have returned to school. Two participants decided school wasn’t for them, but they have continued to help in our tuck shop. Our participants join the mentoring program and other programs that Voices Awake offers, as our trauma-informed approaches are complementary and focused on personal development and healing - things that all girls in Malawi would benefit from.