Growing up in a village in Tanzania’s Kiteto district in the Manyara region, Rachel Daudi a 19-year-old single mother of a two-year-old child, had limited knowledge of and access to reproductive health services. In her community, it is uncommon—and often disapproved of—for young people to get information on reproductive health while still living with their
When we met 19-year-old Jovie Erillia, mother to two-year-old Jhon Kyle, at her home in Santa Margarita in Samar, Philippines, she was living with her partner and his family. She had just turned 16 when she realized she was pregnant, the only one among her friends to face a pregnancy while still in school. “Shocked”
During an antenatal care visit in Luanda, Angola’s capital, Laurinda, a 39-year-old mother, tested positive for HIV. The diagnosis devastated her. But, Laurinda took the next step to preserve her health and safeguard the health of her children. Four months pregnant, she immediately began antiretroviral treatment (ART). However, adhering to treatment proved challenging. After Laurinda
