I teach young girls that motherhood should wait

"I had never seen my mother so distraught as she was when she broke the news to me. My elder sister, who was 17 and in Form three was pregnant and had run away to get married," Daisy Kosgey Mugira starts. Daisy is the founder of Dear Little Sister Foundation and the author of Dear Little Sister Book. These passions were inspired by the ordeal faced by her elder sister.

The 30-year-old banker by profession saw first-hand how early pregnancies stalls a girl's life. "In my community, even to date, sex education, menstruation, and anything related to reproductive health are considered a taboo. Parents and guardians find it inappropriate to discuss such matters with their children. This has left many girls falling victims of teenage pregnancies and subsequent early marriages."

Thanks to the experience, she was among the lucky few who went on to complete their education, as she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics, Mathematics, and Sociology.

"The fact that many girls were dropping out of school due to teenage pregnancy bothered me. I hated seeing parents to the girls not supporting them to go back to school," Daisy who was born and raised in Chepseon, Kericho County as a second born in a family of six; five girls and one boy, says.

That's exactly what happened to her sister.

"When I got home for mid-term break, she had already dropped out of school and gone to her husband's place. She had written a note to my mother that she was pregnant and didn't want to be a burden."

That marked Daisy's turning point.

" I vowed never to let teenage pregnancy cut my education short and steal my mum's beautiful smile," she says.

However, she worried about her younger sisters.

"I would urge them to avoid teenage pregnancies. I used my sister's life as an example. I kept off from boys. I also started writing my book and sought my small sister's views," she says.

The night talks bore fruits. Her younger sisters all completed form four with no pregnancy burden and are currently pursuing other interests.

"They are the ones who assist me organise forums for girls, parents, and community leaders in our village," Daisy says.

She became a peer teacher in 2009 and offered mentorship to young girls.

It was not until 2017 though, that Daisy decided to go formal with her Foundation. "I shared my passion with my husband and a few friends who supported me to organise the first out-reach event," she says. The Dear Little Sister book and Dear Little Sister foundation are her tools to reach out to every young girl out there.

"We aim to nurture girls to avoid teenage pregnancies and early marriages. We teach girls to say NO to oppressive practices, coach them through accountability groups and rehabilitate teenage mothers by taking them back to school," Daisy says. They also provide material support to enable girls to remain in school.

Three years later, Daisy says they have reached 9,000 girls through training and sensitization forums, donated sanitary pads and toiletries to over 1,000 girls, and held training and consultative forums with over 700 parents, guardians, and community leaders. Also, they formed 12 accountability clubs in various schools and churches while initiating 32 teenage mothers-led income-generating projects.

"My husband is my biggest fan and support system," Daisy who is married to Job Mugira, says.

In 2018, Daisy launched the book, Dear Little Sister, in the hope the message will reach more girls. The book is based on the story of a teenage girl, Cheptoo, who gets pregnant while in high school. Cheptoo's life takes a terrible turn until a good Samaritan takes her back to school. Eventually, she becomes successful. Cheptoo then writes a letter to her little sisters sharing her experiences and advising them on how to avoid the mistakes she made.

"It's written in the first-person narrative and simple English," she says.

In July 2019, they got the foundation registered and this opened more opportunities and partnerships.

"I have a group called Dear Little Sister Foundation Friends and my co-directors who have been very supportive in planning and executing the Foundation's programs. That and God," she says.

Teenage pregnancy, Daisy says, is a real problem in Kenya with the latest statistics showing that one in every five girls aged between the age of 10 and 19 years is either pregnant or already a mother. More alarming numbers came out recently showing that thousands of teenage girls have got pregnant during the COVID curfews.

The mother of one girl and currently expecting the second-born says that it's time we got rid of taboos around menstruation and sex.

"We should focus on educating our girls," she advises.

Parents, she says, should be at the forefront of providing the right information on menstruation and sexual and reproductive health. "Don't let them be misguided by negative peer information and social media," she advises.

Moreover, she says, the issues should be dealt with by all in society. "We should all partner to reach as many girls as possible."

To the little sisters, her mantra is; "Motherhood waits!"

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