Life for many Salvadoran girls can be fraught with sexual violence by family members and the problem is little talked about. The House of Life Mama and Baby Shelter will be a safe haven where 30 pregnant, abused teens can heal, have healthy babies and learn how to bond and care for their babies, and about their human right to live in an abuse-free environment. ThIs will be the first such shelter in the country as there is currently no adequate place to send pregnant teens in El Salvador.
Rape at the hands of relatives and a lack of sex education are driving pregnancies among girls in El Salvador, which is struggling to stem one of the highest rates of teenage pregnancy in Latin America. Incest at the hands of grandfathers, fathers and other relatives is often the cause & many come from homes with domestic violence. More than a third of all pregnancies in El Salvador are among girls aged 10 to 19, and girls as young as 9 have become pregnant. The risk of maternal death is high.
The New Life Home will provide a shelter and care for abused teens before they have their babies & a safe place to be nurtured during their pregnancy. Funding has been sucured to provide the building, but bedding, sheets, blankets and everything needed to receive the first four teens and their unborn babies. We also need monthly operating expenses for caregivers, staff, doctors, hospital bills, food, maternity clothing, baby clothing, baby supplies, medicines, transportation, utilities and more.
The first of its kind in El Salvador, this project will be sustained by mission teams after the first 2 years. Girls will be educated about their rights, and learn to nurture their babies for the first three months. After that they will be given the option to keep their baby or offer it up for adoption. Lives of the girls will be improved regardless of what choice they make and the babies will have had essential nurturing during their first 3 months to help them be ready for the right family.
This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).
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