For This Teen Mother in Kenya, Mentorship Was a Lifeline

At Global Girls Glow, we know intimately from our work in underserved communities around the world that mentorship can completely change the course of a girl’s life.

In Kenya, nearly 1 in 6 adolescent girls becomes a mother before the age of 19, with rates highest in rural communities an urban slums where opportunities for guidance and support are limited. For these girls, having a mentor can mean the difference between dropping out of school and finding a path to leadership, advocacy, and self-confidence.

We recently spoke with a remarkable young woman in Kibera, Kenya — the largest urban slum on the continent — to hear firsthand how having a mentor provided the support and encouragement to overcome the shame and stigma of teen motherhood.

To protect her privacy, we’re withholding her name and identity.

A Teen Mother’s Journey, In Her Own Words

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.

Growing up in an informal settlement. My dreams didn’t go as planned. I thought I would go to school, get good marks, go to university, and become a doctor. That dream changed when I became a teen mother at the age of 18.

When I first had my baby, I didn’t even want to hold her. My hands were shaking. I was the youngest one in the clinic. I felt ashamed. I was just a girl. I just wanted to explore, and out of that curiosity, I became pregnant.

I stayed home for two years and told my mom that I wanted to go back to school. My first day back wasn’t easy. I felt ashamed, like everyone knew my story.

But then I joined GLOW Club and met Mentor Lucy, and realized that she was someone I could speak to openly. Imagine finding someone you can talk to without judging you, when before, you were only judged and stigmatized.

She has walked with me step-by-step in my journey. I can share anything with her and she doesn’t judge me. She has provided a platform for me to echo my voice and be heard. To have courage.

Her advice and support has really been life-changing. When I’m with her, I don’t feel judged. I just feel loved.

Global Girls Glow connects girls in Kenya, and 30 other countries worldwide, with mentorship, support, and leadership skills. 

The biggest turning point in my life is when my mentor said, ‘You can be who you want to be. You don’t have to seek validation from anyone else. Your voice matters.”

That advice has helped me because I now know that I don’t need anyone to tell me that what I’m doing is good. I do it for me. I do it for the girl in a remote area who cannot speak for herself. And I also do it for my daughter because she will, at some point, become a teenager, and I will be there to guide her.

My daughter is now three years old, and she has been my pillar of strength. When I look at her and I think about giving up, I know that I have to keep going. I have to get back up, dust myself off, and move on.

“The biggest turning point in my life is when my mentor said, ‘You can be who you want to be. You don’t have to seek validation from anyone else. Your voice matters.’”

I am now in high school, about to graduate. And I’m also an advocate. As part of my advocacy work, I educate stakeholders on the things girls need and the changes we hope to see in our community. I recently won an award for being a social activist for girls, and I will soon travel to South Africa to speak at an international conference on reproductive health.

When I look at my daughter, I feel very proud of myself because she looks at me and sees someone who is strong for her. And I hope in the future my daughter knows that I did everything for her. And I tried my best. And I will always do my best for her.

Because I want to see a world where my daughter can walk out, even at night, without having the fear of not getting home safe. I want a community where my daughter is respected. I don’t want my daughter to walk in the streets and be catcalled or harassed by men.

I want, one day, for my daughter to come back home and tell me that she was somewhere, in the streets, walking, and it was safe. And she was happy.

Global Girls Glow mentors girls around the world to become powerful advocates and confident leaders. Through our signature program, GLOW Club, we create safe, supportive spaces for girls in some of the world’s most underserved areas to connect with trusted mentors, develop the confidence to lead, and begin dreaming without limits. Since our founding, we’ve ignited the power of more than 100,000 girls — and we’re just getting started.