I am not broken, I'm unique

I am not broken, I'm unique

Patricia

I am Patricia, 19 years old. I  live with my single mother and two sisters in Laini Saba, Kibera West. I am a teen mother of one child who I delivered in November 2021 at the age of 17.

Due to old age, my mother has been struggling to be a breadwinner. She has also been unemployed. As a way to support my family in accessing basic needs, I got into a relationship with a young man who used to give me money. This relationship led to my pregnancy.

Learning about my pregnancy got me scared at first . Scared of my future and that of the child. Out of fear of the high mortality rate cased by abortion, I decided to keep the child. When I informed my mother, she was angry with me but later  accepted my situation.

With this drastic change in my life and that of my family, life has become tougher. With more mouths to feed, this has  led us to survive on  one meal a day. Sometimes, I have to beg my extended family and friends for help. The father of my child has not been supporting the child with basic needs. This forces me to fend for the child as I balance with school work.

Though it's tough to focus on school work with all the challenges, I’m determined to finish my high school education and pursue my dreams in catering and fully support my child.

Currently, I am equipping myself with entrepreneurship skills from the Gingko program so that I can take better care of my family.

 

 

 

 

my life, life has gotten tougher with more mouths to feed. This leads us to survive with one meal a day. Sometimes, I have too beg my extend family and friends for help. The father of the child, has not been supporting the child with basic needs. This forces me to fend for the child as I balance with school work.

Though its tough to focus on school work with all the challenges, I am determined to finish my high school education and pursue my dreams in catering and support my child.

Currently, I am equipping myself with entrepreneurship skills from the Gingko program so that I can better carter for my family.

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