Her long stare through the bars of a prison cell catches my eye. Abandoned by her mother, Chantal is now under her grandmother’s care. She is also a victim of Gender-based violence. Defiled by an elderly man at age 12, she had to undergo C-section because her pelvis was undeveloped for childbirth. Neither could she breastfeed her newborn because she contracted HIV/Aids. Still, she gathered courage and returned to school but the stigma affected her academic performance negatively. Then she got into drug and alcohol abuse through peer pressure; to ease her frustrations. Soon Chantal left school, and abandoned her son to the care of her grandmother. She was arrested amongst other drug addicts hence her present predicament.
As a teen mother, Chantal tries to find meaning in an unforgiving world. The psychological and emotional trauma she and many teen mothers have been through is unbelievable. Their troubles, whether self-inflicted, circumstantial or because they had no choice, is a burden they bear. Cyizere Girls brings hope to them by supporting, loving, listening and caring for them. Just as Jesus loved us irrespective of who we are so should we, he has commanded us to love our neighbours.
Join us to be a ray of hope to Chantal and the many teen mothers we support.
