Solid

EMMA – Empowering Teenage Mothers in Peru.

The EMMA project is about guiding young teenage mothers in Ayacucho, Peru, in their new role as parents. The project focuses on good child and maternal health, emotional wellbeing, positive parenting and education. 

According to national statistics, in Peru, every day 5 girls aged 14 or younger give birth to a child as a result of sexual violence. In Ayacucho, almost 2 out of every 10 teenage girls aged 15 to 19 has been pregnant.

All the girls involved in the EMMA project come from a poor/extremely poor background, and live in the outskirts of Ayacucho, facing neglect, sexual violence and poverty. Due to their young age and the situation in which they live, many of these young parents have a limited capacity to manage and express their emotions, often repeating the cycle of violence. Many teenage mothers also drop out of school, with no plans for the future, due to a lack of resources and stereotypical role patterns. Solid wants to accompany these girls and empower them to be the change makers.

Every year, 100 teenage mothers between 12 and 17 years old and their children (under 2 years old) are invited to the project. They receive guidance through:

• Individualized sessions / Home visits
• Group & peer workshops

The Covid-19 health crisis makes the economic situation of these young families especially hard, as many lost their job. Visiting the teenage mothers is also a challenge, as everything in Peru has to be organized online since March 2020. On the other hand, this is an opportunity for the team to also connect with girls that live more isolated in rural communities. However, many girls don’t have a personal cell phone, and therefore do not have access to online education and have limited availability for and privacy within the project.

With the support of the New Life Fund, Solid was able to purchase 70 cell phones to keep a much-needed life-line with these teenage mothers and to make a change!