Single young mothers, living alone and estranged from their families, are extremely vulnerable. These mothers include girls who were trafficked into sex slavery during the war. Continuing poverty and exploitation following the war has contributed to a further increase in teenage pregnancy.

Project SIerra will help reintegrate these girls with their families or empower them to be independent members of their community. School or vocational training is provided, along with childcare, giving the mothers a firm foundation for their future. Life skills and healthcare classes build their confidence and self-esteem.

Project SIerra will guide and support these fledgling families on the road to a brighter tomorrow.

She was taken to their base where the commander decided she should be his wife. During the terrifying ambushes that followed, she was abducted by another group of rebels and taken as somebody else’s wife. She eventually fell pregnant and decided to escape and return to her home in Bo, so that she could find some love, support and relative security for herself and her unborn child.

But her family wanted nothing to do with her, on account of her pregnancy. She was even shunned by her friends who were mocking her and calling her ‘rebel wife’ and referring to her baby as ‘rebel child’. With no food or clothes to give the baby, Alfreda saw abandoning it as the only solution. It was during this desperate time that a friend suggested Alfreda got in touch with HANCI-SL*, to see if they could help at all. Being so young and feeling so stigmatised, Alfreda didn’t even know how to go about registering her baby, but the team were able to help her.

Alfreda said, “Before I met HANC-SL I was completely discouraged. My life was so difficult as I felt that there was nobody there for me, and worst of all, I was carrying a baby without a father.” “HANC-SL now help me take care of my baby. They provide medicines when she is sick and look after her at the day care centre, where she also gets a meal. In the future I want to go back to school and want my child to go to school when she is old enough so that eventually we can stand alone.”

*HANCI-SL are Hope and Homes for Children’s in-country partner, see ‘The Partnership’ for more details.

For more case studies please visit the Resources section.