Life is Made by What We Give

What problem we are trying to solve?

Teenage pregnancy crisis is a global occurrence with far reaching health implications, widespread social and economic ramifications.
Factors driving teenage pregnancy crisis are complex and interconnected.
Child marriage is linked to teenage pregnancy and is closely associated with lower educational attainment, intimate partner violence, maternal and child mortality, increased rates of sexual transmitted infections, intergeneration poverty and the disempowerment of married girls.
Child sexual abuse has significant impact on the health and wellbeing of children and place girls at increased risk of pregnancy.

Global Trends
- As of 2019, adolescents aged 15-19 years in low-and middle-income countries had an estimated 21 million pregnancies each year.
- Which resulted in an estimated 12 million births.
- With 55% of unintended pregnancies ending in abortions
- Sub Saharan Africa (SSA) recorded the largest number of estimated births to 15-19 year-olds in 2021 which stood at (6,114,000) compared to Central Asia which had (68,000).
- The corresponding number was (332,000) among adolescents aged 10-14 years in SSA, compared to (22,000) in South-East Asia (SEA) in the same year.

- Data from the Kenya Health Information Systems shows that a total of 110,821 pregnancies were recorded among adolescents aged between the ages of 10 to 19 years between the months of January to May in 2023.
- Further interrogation of the data reveals that a total of 6,110 were among adolescents aged between 10 to 14 years while another 104,711 were between the ages of 15 to 19 years.
- The pregnancy numbers recorded in the first five months of 2023 is almost half of what was recorded in 2022.
- Which stood at 260,734 in 2022.
- In 2021, there were 316,187 teenage pregnancies that were recorded compared to 331, 549 in 2020.

RRCF seeks to rescue girls, empower women and redeem generations in Jesus’ name!
RRCF offers a safe environment for healing and holistic development of teenage girls in pregnancy crisis.
Capacity strengthening aimed at equipping the teenage mothers with practical skills and knowledge for self-reliance.
Amplifying voice, sensitizing the community on safeguarding and protection.
Challenging retrogressive cultural practices, power dynamics, mental models, norms and narratives that stigmatize and discriminate against teenagers in pregnancy crisis.

To amplifying voice, RRCF needs a seat at the decision making table where policies are influenced.
Joining a Technical Working Group would be a good place for RRCF to start.
Adequate policies, weakest link is enforcement and full implementation.
Winning the fight against stigma associated with teenage pregnancy will restore fellowship with other believers in church.

UNICEF (2020), Action to end child abuse and exploitation.
UNICEF (2021), Towards ending child marriage: Global trends and profiles of progress.
WHO (2023), Adolescent pregnancy.