Having found that 1 in 10 pregnant girls under 18 had died from maternal causes in our locality in 2015, we started 2YoungLives, a unique mentoring scheme, to save lives and promote healthy births.

Piloted in 2017, 2YL now runs in 12 sites and has mentored 550 young women, none of whom has died from maternal death. But the project does not simply mean that girls and their babies survive; with the loving support of a committed mentor, and a small business start-up, the majority of girls are able to support themselves financially, making them less vulnerable to gender-based violence and subsequent pregnancies, and with the help of a 2YoungLives bursary, many have gone back to school or accessed vocational training. This is thriving not just surviving.