TEENAGE MOTHERS EMPOWERMENT PROGRAMME (TEMEP)

SUMMARY:

Teenage Mothers Empowerment Programme (TEMEP) seeks to advance a knowledgeable community on the challenges experienced by Teenage Mothers, their neglected children and the adverse effects of early/teenage pregnancies in the Rwenzori region.

The program aims to provide support for teenage mothers spiritually, socially, and economically. PLANE works to protect teenage mothers through continuous sexual education and empowerment training.

The program works with over 200 teenage mothers from the sub-counties of Karangura, Bukuuku, Kicwamba and Harugongo in Kabarole district, Rwenzori region. It focuses on empowering teenage mothers by offering them life skills and opportunities to return to school, thus restoring their future and economically empowering them.

This program seeks to address challenges faced by teenage mothers such as underage pregnancy, nutrition for children, HIV/AIDS, Sexual Reproductive Health Rights, poverty, and illiteracy.

PLANE seeks to offer teenage mothers economic empowerment, self-esteem, education, and life skills through this programme.

Solution:

Through village savings, basic skills training, one-on-one education, livelihood improvement, weaving crafts, hairdressing, farming, and microfinance training we can help teenage mothers improve their quality of life.

Long-Term Impact:

The programme will empower teenage mothers economically to fight poverty and the effects of teenage pregnancy in the Rwenzori mountainous areas. In the long run, this will improve teenage mothers’ incomes and health, provide for their children’s nutrition and education, and benefit their community.

Goals of TEMEP 

• Helping young mothers in the child welfare system with mental health needs to transition successfully to adulthood.
• Prepare young mothers with the parenting skills to raise healthy children and reduce intergenerational involvement in child welfare.
• Facilitate permanency and wellness for young mothers, including transition to sustainable housing, ongoing mental/physical health services, employment, education, relationships, and parenting
• Improve mother and child outcomes. 
  • Increase the mother’s active involvement in her child’s development
  • Increase positive bonding
  • Decrease parenting stress
  • Decrease child abuse and neglect factors
• Improve the mother’s long-term social and emotional well-being.
  • Improve mental, physical and emotional health
  • Increase school engagement
  • Increase safe relationships
  • Increase job satisfaction
  • Increase access to resources; and information access
  • Create permanency plans which include safe living arrangements.
• Increase stable and healthy support systems
  • Address various challenges of teenage mothers, build stable and healthy connections with family members, friends, or adults
  • Increase access to Family Planning Services
  • Decrease unstable or unhealthy relationships that put their lives in danger
• Improve independent living skills for self-sufficiency
  • Make progress toward educational goals
  • Secure and maintain employment
  • Manage money and meet financial obligations
  • Perform activities of daily living
  • Secure and maintain safe childcare
  • Participate in the community
  • Implement planned personal development strategies
• Increase protective factors related to trauma
  • Increase resiliency and optimistic world view
  • Increase positive coping strategies and implementation
• Identify and expand values of self-efficacy, self-confidence, and self-esteem