Beryl, 18, from Lindi, rocks herfive-month-old son to sleep as she recalls the day her world changed. She wasstill in school in Migori county when she found out she was pregnant.
“I wanted to terminate it but my sister encouraged me to keep it,” she says.
“At first, I cried whenever I shared my story. Now, in the group, I laugh, Ifeel lighter.”
Her laughter, like many others at Awoche Foundation’s teen mums’ circle, is thesound of healing.
For Beryl and many girls in Kibera, early pregnancy brought a halt toeducation, rejection at home and financial hardship.
The stigma surrounding teenage pregnancy and gender-based violence often leavesthem isolated and vulnerable.
According to the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey (2022), 15 per cent ofgirls aged 15–19 in Kenya have already been pregnant, with the highest rates ininformal settlements and rural counties.
In Kibera, poverty and overcrowding magnify the risks.
A 2022 study by the African Population and Health Research Centre found that 44per cent of adolescents in Nairobi’s informal settlements reported mentalhealth challenges in the past year, but only 11 per cent accessed professionalsupport.
At Makina Clinic, nurse Eliakim Juma has seen the toll of sexual andgender-based violence firsthand.
“The most common issues among teen mothers are both physical andpsychological,” he says.
“We see unplanned pregnancies, infections, malnutrition, but the mental scarsrun deeper.”
Post-traumatic stress, anxiety and depression are common, and the stigma thatfollows often drives survivors further into isolation.
Through Awoche Foundation, Beryl has trained in baking and beauty.
She also uses the Tiko app, which connects young women to doctors,contraceptives and counselling. “It makes me feel supported,” she says.
Technology is quietly redefining what support looks like for young mothers inKibera. Through the Tiko app, girls earn “miles” when they access reproductivehealth services, such as HIV testing, contraception or counselling.
Those miles can be redeemed for sanitary pads, baby supplies or books. The appalso connects users to doctors, counsellors and safe clinics, bridging theisolation that stigma often creates.
According to Awoche Foundation, there are 90 mobilisers, girls and women aged18 and above using the Tiko app to reach others in the community.
Stella Atieno from Makina during an interview with the Star at Awoche offices, Kibra
STIGMA ANTIDOTE
Stella Atieno, 23, from Makina, got herchild at 18 years, and life was not easy.
She could hustle by doing laundry forpeople, but due to some of the detergents she used, her fingers got partiallyburnt.
“At Awoche, I have learnt baking and beauty. That kept me busy because atsome point, I almost died by suicide but my child gave me hope,” she says.
“As a mobiliser at Awoche, the Tiko app has really helped me, and I canuse it freely without being stigmatised.”
At Makina Clinic, nurse Juma points to helplines and WhatsApp groups that nowprovide confidential advice.
The girls use a helpline, 0800721022, and alsocommunicate in their WhatsApp group.
“Some girls use coded emojis when they can’t speak openly. These tools haveliterally saved lives.”
Jacinta from Kibra, Bombolulu, during an interview with the Star at Awoche offices, Kibra
For Jacinta, 19, from Bombolulu, that silence was heavy.
“Everyone rejected me. But I went back to school and finished Form 4. My childmotivates me,” she says softly.
At Awoche Foundation, Jacinta found counselling and vocational training inhairdressing and baking. But childcare costs remain a hurdle.
“I once got a job but daycare took everything. At least with Tiko miles, I canredeem diapers and essentials,” she says. “My aunt doesn’t see me as a burdenanymore.”
Like Beryl, Jacinta represents a growing number of young women using digitalplatforms to access healthcare and regain control of their lives.
For some, survival has turned intoadvocacy.
FIGHT FOR RIGHTS
Halima, now 16, was raped by a relative’sfriend. Silenced by shame, she later found refuge through counselling at MakinaClinic.
Now she volunteers as a peer mentor,helping others seek care.
“She turned her trauma into strength,” nurse Juma says.
These stories mirror a national pattern. Data from the Kenya National Bureau ofStatistics shows that 42 per cent of adolescents have experienced some form ofgender-based violence.
Yet reporting remains low, particularly in informal settlements where trust ininstitutions is fragile.
In Kibera, Awoche Foundation is redefining empowerment by tying it tosustainability.
Iddah Akoth, programmes coordinator at the foundation/HANDOUT
“Periods don’t wait for donations,” says Iddah Akoth, programmes coordinator atthe foundation.
“Reusable pads are cost-friendly, safe and environmentally sustainable. Theyalso give girls income.”
Her team trains teen mothers to make reusable sanitary pads, which not onlyreduce waste but also tackle period poverty and blocked drains caused bydisposable pads.
In a community where plastic waste and poor sanitation are chronic problems,these small solutions are transformative.By producing and using reusable pads, the girls of Kibera are turning apersonal need into an environmental act.
They also train in soap-making, baking and braiding, skills that combinehygiene promotion with economic independence.
“Twelve out of 15 girls who trained in baking have started small businesses,”Iddah says.
“They’re not just earning, they’re rebuilding their confidence.”
Rita from Katwekera during an interview with the Star at Awoche offices, Kibra
AUTHORITIES INVOLVED
Local authorities are noticing. Kibera seniorassistant chief Asia Ramadhan works closely with peer educators and NGOs tostrengthen these efforts.
“We engage parents through schools and Chief’s Barazas,” she says.
“The community is slowly embracing the fight against SGBV, but stigma stillsilences many.”
Her office also promotes safe waste disposal and sanitation awareness, linkingsocial justice to environmental health.Kenya’s adolescent birth rate dropped slightly from 18 per cent in 2014 to 15per cent in 2022, but the decline is slower in informal settlements.
For many of these young women, the gap between policy and practice remainswide.
Yet, the direction is hopeful. Through digital connection, peer-led advocacyand sustainable livelihoods, survivors are rewriting their own futures.
“I try to talk to them because I don’t want what happened to me to happen tothem,” says Stella, 23, now a mobiliser with the Tiko app.
“Study first. Life is hard. Men lie and leave you with pregnancies. Parentsshould love their daughters, not reject them.”What is unfolding in Kibera is not just social change, it is technological andecological transformation from the ground up.
Teen mothers once pushed to the margins are now building digital literacy,sustainable businesses and environmental awareness in one of the world’s mostchallenging urban landscapes.
By combining technology with green innovation, they are showing what Kenya’stwin transition can truly mean: empowerment that heals both people and theplanet.
From silence to strength, their voices are rising, demanding dignity, justiceand a future that is smarter, fairer and greener.
Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info).
