By Judith Corro | Communications Officer
First of all, THANK YOU for your donations and on-going support for The Las Claras Program. Your actions have been key in establishing the program and getting settled in our two homes within the communities of Felipillo & Santa Ana.
We’re happy to say it’s been a very busy year. In March we welcomed our seventh generation of teen mothers at the Las Claras Program Felipillo, and our second group of students at Santa Ana! During the following 18 months they will receive classes, workshops, comprehensive health and therapy services so that they can graduate and obtain a better future.
At the start of April we organized a “Day at the Theater” not only for our own students, but for children in the Felipillo Community, and with the help of donors and benefactors 200 kids were able to enjoy Snow White at Teatro En Círculo, well known venue in the city. It was a wonderful morning spent amongst laughter and wonder, and we’re sure to make efforts and repeat this experience in the future.
In May, we co-organized a concert for the communities surrounding our centers, pairing our efforts for this with Fundación Danilo Pérez (nonprofit in the arts and music) who visited our students and performed in Felipillo and Santa Ana, delighting families and children in the area.
As you can see, we´ve come a long way during these past months. The teen mothers at the Las Claras Program have received care, education, and continuous support which allows them to find empowerment previously unknown to them. Furthermore, our own statistics keep showing us the powerful effect of our program within their lives even after graduation: none of our student graduates have gone through a second case of early pregnancy (highly common amongst this vulnerable population), almost all of our graduates have stable, and above minimum wage employment, all of our graduates are empowered to believe in their own potential to achieve goals and dreams. By graduating two classes per year since 2017, we’re working nonstop and giving our 1000% to break with poverty and teen pregnancy cycles amongst vulnerable areas in Panama.
Still, the reality in our country is one that requires further action: only during 2017, there were 9,086 registered cases of teen and child pregnancy, meaning that around 30% of total pregnancies in our country belong to a child or teen mom. A number that doesn’t include cases from Social Security Fund, and private clinics. Furthermore, this number keeps on increasing every year, as every teen mom will most likely have a second child during the next 24 months. Worst of all, 75% of these girls will abandon schools. They will lack a plan for the future, self-esteem and confidence to pursue their dreams, a job to support themselves and their babies, and will add numbers to the cycle of poverty that pervades their environment.
Once more, we THANK YOU for your continuous support in this quest for a better quality of life for teen mothers and their children. PLEASE keep donating and invite others to join us in this quest with their donation!
More action still to come. Stay tuned :)
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