Back to school after teenage pregnancy - You too can make it!

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Nancy Enyonam Addrah. International Women's Day 2020, in Ghana

My name is Nancy Enyonam Addrah and I'm a 23 years mother from Avee, in the Volta region of Ghana, and I attend Social Welfare Vocational Training Centre. I believe that girls who have children should not give up! They should go to school and achieve their dreams. 

I never listened to what people had to tell me in school, whether good or bad, for that reason nobody liked me. I completed Junior high school with a good grade. 

After completing school, there was no money to continue my education. I was not occupied at home, so I became curious. As we say, ‘curiosity killed the cat’. I had been warned not to engage in premarital sex. To me, that sounded as if the people trying to protect me were deceiving me.  

One day, I had sex without protection. A month later, I found out I was pregnant. 

My mother got angry and disappointed- feeling I had brought disgrace to the family, just because I was 18 years by then.

“Nancy, you have disgraced me. Didn’t I give you everything you wanted?" she said.

My baby was born and grew well. Although I was happy I had a child, I was sad I was not in school. 

One day, I went to my mother and told her I wanted to go back to school. She agreed and made me make a promise: to her never repeat my mistakes. She bought all my school items and paid for my school fees.

Years passed by- I completed Senior High School education and I passed my examination. My mother supported me, with the help of my child’s father, and I went to the training college. I also succeeded over there and here I am, on the way to becoming a teacher!

My mother and my family were happy for me. In this life, you can become whatever you want only if you believe in yourself. Nothing is impossible for you to do- just as I have done.

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