The Refuge for Teenage Mothers

Through the assistance received from Misereor (Germany), Street Child Africa (UK), and other local donors Street Girls Aid has established a new house of refuge in Achimota, Accra where pregnant and nursing teenage mothers are provided a safe environment to live, sleep, and eat nutritious meals. The girls are afforded the opportunity to learn about pregnancy and parenting; issues which are essential to the survival of these mothers-to-be and their babies. The refuge is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

The refuge offers a ‘house mother’ who is available 24 – hours a day. The house mother is responsible for taking care of the infants when the young mothers need extra assistance and serves as an informal resource for the girls to further learn appropriate infant care. Duty rosters are prepared for girls in the various aspects of housekeeping, cooking (with the food provided by S.Aid), and cleaning.

Girls typically visit the refuge after being referred by a S.Aid or CAS social worker who visit areas where street children reside or a child may also hear about the benefits of the refuge by word of mouth. A pregnant girl typically stays in the refuge for four months calculated by one month prior and three months post delivery. S.Aid’s new refuge can accommodate 50 mothers and their babies. The average age of girls in the refuge is 17 with the youngest being 12. Most of these girls are having their first baby. On average, the girls have been living on the street for five years prior to seeking the refuge and none of the clientele at the refuge have any financial support from their family. The girls who frequent the refuge have migrated from every region of Ghana.

A girl may be given shelter and allowed to stay at the refuge if: •She lives on the streets of Accra •She is younger than 18 years old •She is pregnant or has a new baby •Either she or her baby is ill •She faces abuse in the streets (regardless if the girl is pregnant or not)

Girls that are not pregnant also frequent the refuge and take advantage of the services offered. Girls are encouraged to visit the refuge to rest, wash their clothes, bathe, socialize, interact with the social workers, and take part in the various classes.