Keep her in school

This new month, let's commit to preventing teenage motherhood in our communities—not by shaming, but by guaranteeing every girl access to education and reproductive health information. Teenage pregnancy rarely happens in isolation. It is driven by poverty, school dropout, gender norms, limited access to contraception, and often coercion or abuse. Once a girl becomes a mother, her education typically ends, and her child inherits the same cycle of disadvantage.

Prevention begins with keeping girls in school. A girl who completes secondary education is far less likely to become a pregnant teenager. This month, identify one at-risk girl in your community. Guarantee her continued enrollment—whether through paying fees, providing sanitary products, arranging tutoring, or connecting her to a mentor. Pair that support with accurate, age-appropriate information about her body, rights, and available health services.

When communities invest in preventive education, teenage motherhood declines, child health improves, and girls pursue careers instead of early marriage. As teachers, parents, health workers, or neighbors, let's make this month actionable. Reach one girl. Protect her future. Prevent a pregnancy before it starts. That single intervention reshapes not only her life—but generations to come.