Young, pregnant and on her own: Early pregnancy often leads girls and young women in Tanzania into a hopeless situation. They drop out of school, descend into poverty and lack of prospects. Adela Mazengo could have had a similar fate. A training programme run by Ebli offered her a chance, which she took advantage of.
Catherine Hollinger, Programme Coordinator Tanzania
"I just want my child to be better off than me for once," says Adela Mazengo* and swings her little daughter back and forth on her lap, smiling. The 20-year-old Tanzanian has had a hard time. Adela Mazengo became pregnant at the age of 17. From the seventh month onwards, hiding the pregnancy no longer worked and she had to leave school. Adela Mazengo could not expect support from home. Her aunt, Adela lived with her, did not want to support her. So the young mother was completely on her own and had to take care of her child on her own. Nobody gave her a chance without graduating from school.
Overcoming poverty through your own efforts
Nevertheless Adela Mazengo was lucky. Someone from her community told her about the organization Ebli, which supports girls and young women in the big city of Mwanza in Tanzania. Ebli, in collaboration with terre des hommes schweiz, is committed to helping young mothers without school-leaving qualifications to escape poverty through education and training.
Adela Mazengo's big chance
Every year Ebli offers 100 young, underage mothers without school-leaving qualifications the opportunity to take part in an economic training programme with daily classes. This gives the young mothers the basic skills to start their own small business. When Adela Mazengo heard about Ebli, she immediately seized the opportunity. So she started her first course in 2014, completed it successfully one year later and then also completed the training in business management with flying colours.
Your own little business
Now she has opened her own little shop and sells fried fish in her neighbourhood. The shop gives her a regular income with which she can provide for herself and her child and which makes her independent from her aunt. She has even expanded the shop and now also sells smoked fish at the market.
Respect and self-confidence
Today Adele Mazengo is a self-confident and satisfied young woman who dares to tell her story. In addition to her education she has found a community and self-confidence with Ebli. I have met many girls here who share my destiny", she reports, "As a minor mother, one is constantly alone and in doubt. But here we understand each other and do not always have to explain ourselves. We are friends!" Ebli has changed everything. ""People respect me again and I have found hope.""
Priorities
Adela Mazengo is currently setting herself two priorities: Moving her business forward and taking care of her daughter. Asked about the possibility of letting a man back into her life, the young mother smiles: "No, not at the moment for sure."
* Name changed
