Embu Woman Representative Njoki Njeru has launched an ambitious programme to educate teenage mothers who dropped out of school.
The Restored Hope programme is expected to renew hopes of the young mothers and help them secure jobs in future.
Njoki said the girls' education will be funded from high school to college and university.
She said the programme will be funded by the National Government Affirmative Action Fund.
Njoki spoke at Kangaru School during the launch of the project.
“The office of Woman Rep in Embu County will settle the full school fees in day schools of their choice. I will also provide full school uniform to support the girls,” she said.
At least 60 teenage mothers, who will benefit from the programme will attend day schools closer to them to allow them continue with their parenting roles.
Njoki urged them to take education seriously alongside their parenting roles.
“I chose to enroll these girls in day schools so that they can continue with their parenting roles after school. Some might be still married and I would like them to continue with their roles in their families,” she said.
The Woman Representative appealed to well-wishers to help restore the hopes of teenage mothers who have dropped out of school.
She said out of the 100 girls who applied, her office could only support 60, that is, three girls per ward.
National Council for Population Development says teen pregnancies trend is approaching a dropping curve after a drop from 18 per cent in 2021 to 15 per cent in 2022.
World Health Organisation says early child birth in girls aged between 10-14 years was the leading maternal deaths globally.
In 2019 Kenya recorded 464 maternal related deaths in 100,000 births among 15-19 years girls.
During the launch, Njoki met the beneficiaries of the programme, their parents and other national government administration officials.
She also gave them certificates and sanitary towels as they await to join secondary schools this year.