By: June Shimuoshili
One of the most dangerous assumptions we can make about a teenage mother is that her story has already been written.
She became pregnant, therefore she has failed.
She became a mother, therefore school is no longer for her.
She made a mistake, therefore she must live with the consequences.
I disagree.
As an advocate for girls and young people, I believe pregnancy should never automatically mean the end of a girl’s education. Namibia must create systems that allow young mothers to return to school, complete their education and rebuild their futures.
We have already heard stories from communities where young women desperately want to return to school. In Kunene, young mothers have spoken publicly about wanting to finish their education after becoming pregnant as teenagers. Their stories remind us that motherhood does not erase ambition.
The question should not only be, “Why did she become pregnant?”
We should also ask: What support does she need now?
She may need childcare. She may need counselling. She may need financial assistance, sanitary products, transportation or a flexible pathway back into education.
And we need to involve the father of the child.
The responsibility for a pregnancy does not belong to the girl alone.
If Namibia wants to support the girl child, we must stop treating teenage pregnancy as the end of her potential.
A girl can be a mother and still become a teacher.
She can become an engineer.
She can go to university.
She can build a business.
Her child should not become the reason her dreams disappear.
A pregnancy may change a girl’s journey. It should not determine where that journey ends.
