Expressing hope and sorrow through poetry - young mothers speak out
Last December, our amazing supporters and match funders helped us raise over £7,000 through the Big Give Christmas Challenge. We're gearing up for this year's campaign, starting at 12 noon on Tuesday, November 28th. Will you help make it our most successful yet? Click here to support our campaign - one donation, twice the impact!
The funds raised last year enabled us to scale up and evolve our programme over the past 12 months, including piloting girl-led ideas from the Community Girls Network.
This includes a poetry project aimed at amplifying the voices and stories of young mothers. Over recent months, the young mothers have been crafting and sharing personal poems expressing their hopes, dreams, sorrows, and more, while also creatively processing some of the pressures they face. It serves as a valuable and fun addition to the support and connections provided to young women as part of the AdAmi Project work.
Below are just two of the amazing poems written by the young women.
Teresa - Don’t marry me, educate me (click here to see her tell her poem)
Don’t marry me, educate me
My age is still unripe
Give me a chance to know my life
Give me a chance to fulfil my dreams
Don’t marry me, educate me
I am a tender girl
But not weak
Give me a chance to prove myself
Give me a little time to grow
To study and know my life
Marriage is not for teenagers
Childhood is not for motherhood
Educate me for a better future
Elizabeth - My identity (click here to see her tell her poem)
Society says I have no voice, who am I?
They say I’m not supposed to go to school, who am I?
Teenage pregnancy and early marriage has destroyed my dreams and aspirations, who am I?
Allow me to be a child, not a mother, I am an adolescent
Allow me to be a woman of substance, not a drop out
Give me a voice to say no to teenage pregnancy and early marriage
I am strong, I am brave, I am wonderful
Can you help Teresa and Elizabeth achieve their dreams and aspirations in 2024? Please consider donating to our Big Give Christmas Challenge Campaign. Together, we can empower young mothers to build happy, healthy and financially independent lives.
Thank you for your support.