Speaking to my fellow young mother, I’m not talking on behalf of someone

“Speaking to my fellow young mother, I’m not talking on behalf of someone”. Miriam Hasasha is Young Mother’s Ambassador at the Coalition for Children Affected by AIDS (CCABA). She supports young mothers with HIV to stay in care. As a young mother herself, she stresses the importance of projects being community-based to best support young mothers, and speaks out on being a role model for other girls. Meet Miriam!

“It is important for projects supporting young mothers to be community-based because in the community, we know who we are dealing with. We know the kind of people that we are relating with because if I’m a young mother speaking to my fellow young mother, I’m sure it will be a good experience because I’m talking for myself, I’m not talking on behalf of someone. So it is better to be peer to peer mentorship.

It is important to support young mothers living with HIV with their children to stay healthy because it is the most vulnerable group of people, young people, young girls need support from health workers during that time of antenatal services, so if it is the period to keep them with hope, without discrimination from hospitals and all public places.

What I’m proud of in my role as a young mother’s ambassador, it’s because that many people are coping up, many young mothers the way I talk to them. Personally, I give myself hope to go back to school. So if I share my story with other young girls out there, they are proud of who I am because they are seeing me progressing, winning awards. And I mean to the society of young mothers helping them out. So they be like if this one did it, why can’t I do this, meaning they are giving me more hope because I also give them hope through my mentorship.”