I spent 10 days in Costa Rica with a group of amazing individuals who are determined to be leaders of their communities in the United States regarding the global issues prevalent today. This Tuesday, I was fortunate to facilitate another group of adolescent leaders from the communities of Matagalpa. Four pregnant, adolescent mothers from the Casa Materna (and one of their partners) joined us as well.
We discussed adolescent pregnancy and asked pertinent questions such as, ¨Can the cycle be stopped from generation to generation?¨ ¨What can we do to decrease the amount of adolescent pregnancies?¨ In Nicaragua, 1 of every 4 births are from adolescent mothers. 23/1000 infants die during childbirth. 170/100,000 women die giving birth to their infants which is 1.5 times greater than the U.S.
The adolescents that arrived to the Casa Materna seemed poised to provide and share information with their communities. The pregnant teen mothers present seemed pensive yet receptive and willing to share their stories. The youngest mother there was thirteen and pregnant with her first child.
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