From teenage motherhood to a nursing dream

When Amina (not her real name) became pregnant at 13, she was in Primary Seven and preparing to sit her Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE). What followed was a difficult transition from childhood to motherhood, marked by rejection, uncertainty and a struggle to remain in school.

Today, at 17, Amina is a Senior Two student at Yumbe Secondary School in Uganda’s West Nile sub region. She is also a mother to four-year-old Issa (not his real name). Her experience reflects how targeted support can help adolescent girls overcome barriers that might otherwise push them permanently out of education. Amina shared her story during an engagement with an EU delegation visiting West Nile, led by Ms Karolina Hedström, Head of Cooperation at the Delegation of the European Union, and including representatives from Denmark, Sweden, Austria, Italy, Germany, Ireland and France.

After becoming pregnant, her father chased her away from home and she went to live with an aunt, where she stayed for two years. After giving birth, she remained at home for only a week before returning to school as a day student. Despite the circumstances, she sat her PLE, scoring an aggregate of 15. But with little support, she eventually went to work in a restaurant to earn money.

Then, she heard from a friend about Gender for Development Uganda (G4DU), a four-year programme funded by the European Union and implemented through a partnership involving the Government of Uganda, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW), Belgian Development Agency (Enabel), Spotlight Initiative and other partners. Amina shared her story during an engagement with the EU delegation visiting West Nile, led by Ms Karolina Hedström, the Head of Cooperation. Amina went to Yumbe Secondary School to find out whether she could qualify. She was one of the girls assessed and later learnt that she had been selected. “I didn’t expect it. I was excited because of the 264,000 UGX (US$68)!” she says with a big grin on her face.

For Amina, the support has meant more than financial assistance. The Cash+ component helps her meet the costs of staying in school, while mentoring has helped rebuild her confidence and sense of belonging.

“The Cash+ money enables me to go to school, become more confident and sit around people,” she says. Before joining the programme, she recalls, she was often stressed and worried that she had no future. Now, she says, she can study without being sent away for unpaid school fees.

The change is also evident in how she relates to other students. “I used to fear sitting near boys but after mentoring, I feel confident sitting next to them and discuss,” she says. One boy in her class, she adds, has helped her with biology revision.

At Yumbe Secondary School, the Cash+ programme supports girls through financial assistance, mentoring and referrals to relevant services. According to Senior Woman Teacher and peer mentor Ketty Sabucia, 111 girls at the school enrolled in the programme since 2025. She says the support has helped girls who previously appeared vulnerable and uncertain about remaining in school to become more stable.

For Amina, the support has restored something she feared she had lost: the right to continue her education. “Now I’m happy because my right to education has been fulfilled,” she says.

She now has a clear ambition: to become an enrolled nurse. She wants to use her education to provide for her son and eventually reach girls in rural communities who may be facing challenges similar to those she experienced.

Her message to other young mothers is simple: “If anything happens, forget about the past. Focus on the future. There is always a way where there is the will.”

For Amina, that future begins with staying in school.