By Eunice Naffie Mustapha
There are stages in life when one might trip and fall. However, what happens next determines how far one might go. Sierra Leone is bedeviled by various social vices affecting girls, and teenage pregnancy is one such vice that has consistently served as a hurdle in the educational empowerment of girls. Her Story Salone Series brings you the story of 17-year-old Aminata from Waterloo.
Just a Regular Girl
With big dreams and hopes of a successful life, Aminata danced through life. Life was all about going to school and becoming educated to fly out of poverty. Since day one, she knew she wanted a college degree and a place in the army. Aminata was just another teenage girl viewing education as the ticket to an empowered lifestyle. However, her fall started with her parent’s inability to pay a school expense on time.
She Tripped
Staying at home was the temporary solution till the sum could be raised. Living with her aunt and her parents, who were not in town, her family could not afford to pay expenses effectively. Aminata was born in a home where affording the basic necessities of life was a constant battle. The family survived the pittance her aunt earned from trading (retailing foodstuff such as rice, palm oil, etc.). Her stay-at-home period was an opportunity to help her aunt sell to raise the sum needed for her expenses at school.
She Fell
And then she tripped so hard, falling in love with a 19-year-old boy. This resulted in a sexual relationship with no contraceptive option chosen. Sadly, unplanned pregnancy said hello!
According to Aminata, she lacked sexual reproductive health and rights information and education at home. Even though organizations used to visit her school, the messages were mostly too complex or unrelatable. She was amongst those who would clap so fast and so hard to get it over with.
She did not want to become a victim of teenage pregnancy, though. It was an unplanned fall. Life was already hard on her family, and there she was, adding another burden. Besides, unsafe abortion was definitely not an option. Everything was bleak. What next? What next? She thought!
Getting Up
Aminata stated that it was time to move on after accepting her plight. She could finally return to school, but she had to return pregnant. She stated that she did not mind going to school pregnant, for her it was about getting an education. Becoming pregnant as a teenager was a hurdle she planned to jump! Her dreams were still in her heart and mind, and she was determined to achieve them.
With fire in her eyes, she explained during her interview that she would definitely get a degree in the future, become a soldier, and open a very big shop. She would become a rich woman!
Her Call
“I want to be supported in getting items such as books, bags, etc., required for school. I would appreciate support with going to college and joining the army. I also need help with catering for my child. I will advise every girl not to be engaged in sexual intercourse to avoid teenage pregnancy.”- Aminata
Aminata tripped and fell, but now she’s working on getting up. Teenage pregnancy remains a vice that is to be curtailed. What can we do to help curtail it?
About Writer
Eunice Naffie Mustapha is a creative writer and a storyteller. She is a published author ( the author of Girlz Planete: Teenage Pregnancy). As the CEO of Nafisa Media Limited, she believes in using stories to inspire social change. She is a Sierra Leonean content writer renowned for submitting content to individuals and entities locally and internationally.
About Sponsors
Pikin Bizness is a Non-Governmental Organization set up in 2001 to help vulnerable children with health problems. Three philanthropists founded the organization: Dr Adonis Abdoud ( Chief Executive Officer), Babara Bangura, and Shelac Sunny Davies. The organization has sponsored many children with holes in their hearts to undergo successful surgeries in different hospitals abroad.
Girls Plus is an initiative of the Asmaa James Foundation, driven by community-led interventions aimed at providing access to education and information on comprehensive sexual and reproductive health and rights in Sierra Leone.
findmymethod.org is an online platform that provides reliable information on sexual reproductive health and rights (e.g., contraceptive methods).
Photo Credit: Moseray Koroma ( Super Mos Photography): +23278145373/ +23288914840