Rusizi District in the Southwestern part of Rwanda area bordering the Democratic republic of Congo and Burundi has been affected by Teen pregnancy rates which have grown to epidemic proportions. The Stiching Grace program is driven by the idea that with grace, love and compassion, we stitch the wounded hearts of teenage mothers who are experiencing emotional, physical and spiritual pain marred by extreme poverty.
Education is crucial for the empowerment and emancipation of girls and the protection of their dignity as human beings. Through the Stitching Grace ministry we have taken it upon ourselves to train teen mothers in a vocational trade such as tailoring and at the same time provide them with start-up kits that they can use to begin their own small-scale businesses to support both themselves and their newborn children.
I have seen first-hand how much joy and hope this program gives to these teen mothers and how much it contributes to the restoration of their healing and confidence, by helping them escape the challenges that come with social isolation and stigma.