Teenage pregnancy

It is 6 am in the Martha de Roldós neighborhood in the north of Guayaquil, Ecuador. Fabiana Ortega (18) hurries breakfast and finishes preparing her backpack with books, snacks, and diapers. At the same time her partner, Ángel Bravo (28), dresses their son Miguelito, 11 months old. The three of them walk to the bus stop. Fabiana and Miguelito have…, A difficult journey, Fabiana was born in Táchira, Venezuela, and at the age of 11 migrated for the first time to Colombia. She lived there for five years, but the family's economic situation led them to migrate again in 2019. Their destination was Chile; however, the pandemic changed their plans and they decided to settle in Guayaquil in search of better opportunities…, A life plan in a backpack, The UNICEF program has been in place since 2018 in Ecuador and includes unconditional cash transfers for the participants. The amount varies according to the reality of each family and can be extended up to nine months. “The migrant and refugee population allocate the money for rent or to buy food. In the case of households with children and…

Mirlenis Navas (18) and Elio Noel Gamaz (21) met in Colombia. She lived with her family in a small house in the border city of Cúcuta. He was looking for opportunities in this same city to which he had migrated some time ago with his father. They were teenagers and had many things in common, including their status as migrants and the same homeland…, A comprehensive response to address the urgency, In 2018, in response to the migration situation, UNICEF Ecuador, through the Social Inclusion Programme and in coordination with other agencies of the United Nations system, launched a program of unconditional monetary transfers, called the Integral Protection Program for migrant families and Refugees with children and adolescents in Ecuador (PPI…, Aid multiplies, Two years after arriving in Lago Agrio, Mirlenis and Elio tell their story sitting in the place they rent to live and work: a house that is their home, their bicycle workshop and their barbershop. With great effort, dedication and the support of the organizations, the family managed to get on with their business. The journey has not been easy.…, Building a future together, When Marlon Diosnel, Mirlenis and Elio's baby, was born, they received a single payment of 130 dollars for comprehensive development and initial education. As part of this help, they also learned about positive parenting guidelines, childcare, nutrition, breastfeeding, violence prevention, family roles, and responsibilities. They also had access…