After one year of Teenage Network’s advocacy, the Nasarawa state government has launched a school-re-entry guideline for out-of-school adolescent mothers in the state. 1 in 5 girls between the ages of 15-19years in Nasarawa state has begun childbearing. This largely contributes to the total number of out-school-children in the state, which is about 15% of the state population.

When girls become pregnant, stigmatization and discriminatory school policies forces them to drop out of school without options for an alternative education or skills acquisition program. This limits girls access to decent job, increases their vulnerability to domestic violence and decreases the likelihood of taking a leadership role. Furthermore, studies have shown that keeping adolescent mothers out of school has a ripple effect on the education, health and economy of the state at large. Children born to uneducated mothers are twice less likely to be enrolled in school and twice likely to die from vaccine preventable death.

These realities prompted Teenage Network to engage the Nasarawa state ministry of Education to build a case for the return of adolescent mothers. With funding support from Rise Up, Teenage Network engaged stakeholders within the state, leveraged the media and galvanized community support that aided the development of the school re-entry guideline for adolescent mothers in the state. This is a win not just for the adolescent mothers but for the state at large.