Supporting Mother-Baby Pairs with Early Childhood Stimulation and Parenting Skills in Zimbabwe

• In Event: Roundtable Session (Tuesday I)
  In Refereed Round-Table Session: Creating global citizens amongst vulnerable populations: an exploration on the role of empathy and social connection

Proposal

Adolescent girls and young women in Zimbabwe are driven to early sexual debut (at age 15 on average) by many structural factors, such as poverty, child marriage, and gendered cultural norms, and thus they face increased risk of HIV infection and unplanned pregnancy. The formidable obstacle of teenage pregnancy causes approximately 22,000 girls drop out of school each year due to pregnancy.
Under the DREAMS IC program, WEI/Bantwana worked to reach this underserved and often forgotten population of teen mothers who dropped out of formal school with the Part-Time and Continuing Education (PTCE). The program was revived by WEI/Bantwana and recognized by the Government of Zimbabwe as a best practice for non-formal education to get pregnant girls and teen mothers back into school and reach them with comprehensive and holistic services. PTCE is a flexible approach to education which allows learners who cannot be in formal schools for various reasons, such as pregnancy, motherhood, and lack of economic stability, to access secondary education. The attendance schedules are designed to accommodate the various circumstances of the learners and babysitters watched the children to allow the girls to attend their classes without interruption. This adaptable model is the most suitable to retain girls in school who have multiple roles, such as motherhood or who are the breadwinners for their families.
Through the PTCE program, early childhood stimulation (ECS) and parenting sessions were offered to 200 teen mothers and their babies, facilitated by trained community volunteers to provide practical parenting skills and promote healthy child development. The curriculum, developed by WEI/Bantwana, includes 12 parenting topics related to motor, social, emotional, and cognitive development, communication and language development, as well as health and nutrition conducted by a trained nurse to promote HIV care and treatment adherence. Mothers are led through toy-making workshops and learn skills to stimulate their children to improve developmental outcomes.
WEI/B also connected teen moms and pregnant adolescent girls with Community Childcare Workers (CCWs), an existing community-based social protection cadre, who monitored their school attendance and ensured that those who are at high risk of drop-out are followed up with to ensure retention and referral to services, including HIV testing and treatment. In addition, the teen mom’s male partners were engaged to support the retention and attendance of the teen moms, while the adolescent girls were linked with mentors who acted as role models and supported the girls to help them develop life plans and goals.
Through the PTCE and ECS programs, the teen mothers received a second chance at education and were provided with parenting sessions to help their children reach their developmental milestones.

Author

• Kayla Caldwell, World Education, Inc.