Even under normal circumstances, pregnancy can be a daunting experience, but being pregnant in a refugee camp with no home, a cramped space with very few resources available is a situation that no young woman should have to face.
At Kigeme camp in Nyamagabe District, although the number of teenage pregnancy is decreasing, according to officials, there are still some who are getting pregnant while at school.
To the young girls, the demands of parenthood come as a shock as they are normally still in school and depend on their parents, yet they know very little about caring for their children.
This, according to Emmanuel Uwimana, HIV and reproductive health program coordinator in Africa Humanitarian Action (AHA) at the camp, has seen a number of girls struggle socially, financially to raise their children.
"In the camp, boredom for those who drop out of school is a huge problem as the number is high, which makes some youth leave the camp only to get involved in bad company out there,” he says.
However, thanks to one pig project, which is helping young mothers get empowered financially and socially.
This is the first project that has been put across to help benefit drop out teenagers/young mothers with their babies, as it is an opportunity to challenge them to find their voice and be independent as well.
Before, a 16 year old Muziranenge Mutoni says vulnerability had taken a significant toll on her and her young child.
"My family was struggling to make both ends meet, when I got pregnant at 15, it was a double burden to my family, something that made us struggle financially. When I gave birth, it was even worse as I could hardly get enough food to eat in order to breastfeed my child,” she says.
At the moment, Mutoni says she is lucky to be among those who benefited from pig farming, noting that apart from helping her solve her financial issues, she is also learning other skills that are vital in real life.
Umutoni Uwase, another young mother who heads the project says from rearing the pigs; they are able to earn money, which they save a certain percentage as a group, and the remaining they use in sustaining themselves.
"As a young parent, one of your biggest concerns is around having enough money to care for your child and for yourself, and if you don’t have any source of income whatsoever, it becomes a challenge to manage your expenses,” she says.
With the pig rearing, she affirms that as a group, they have been able to not only support themselves and children, but also support their families; something she believes has helped maintain peace among their families.
For Therese Nyiramasimba, a sixteen year old says their parents now believe in them, adding that this is something that has helped create unity among their people as they no longer see them as a burden, but rather people who have future aspirations.
Besides, she adds other skills such as managing and saving are some of the additional knowledge they are getting, which is beneficial while outside the school environment.
About the pig initiative
The purpose of the project is to support young mothers in income generating activities, as well as to re-enroll them at school after.
It is an opportunity to train them in life skills in general, especially prevention of unwanted pregnancies.
The group of six started with only 7 pigs, after 2 months, two pigs gave birth to a total of nine piglets, which were sold after two months each costing Rwf 10,000.
At the moment, the group has six pigs. The money they get from selling these piglets helps them to cater for their needs as they save some percentage.
Also, from the money earned, the group uses it in constructing barns and paying a veterinary.
Moving forward, the women are expecting to extend barns, using the money received from existing pigs.
The mothers have also opened an account with SACCO where all the money received is put before use.
Backed by the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), the First Time Young Mothers initiative is the brainchild of UNFPA Rwanda.