LIME Foundation helps with stable future for young moms
A group of teen mothers determined to change their lives received some much-need support from the LIME Foundation during a pre-mother’s day luncheon held in their honour at the Women’s Centre of Jamaica Foundation on May 7.
LIME executives and volunteers acted as personal servers and waiters to the young mothers who were pleasantly surprised at the great attention to detail while they rocked gently to the pulsating sounds of pop music in the centre’s canteen. Gifts of mom-and-baby items followed.
“Being a good mother is one of the toughest jobs in the world and it’s made even more difficult when you are very young. By catering to these young mothers we want to remind them that they are not alone while we impart some important coping skills for the journey ahead,” expressed LIME Foundation executive assistant Shelly-Ann O’Connor.
She further engaged the girls in a rap session that dealt with parenting skills, child-bearing and single parenting. O’Connor reinforced the importance of completing their high school education and reminded them that their “best years are yet to come”.
She told the young mothers that their lives had not ended as a result of their circumstance, but that their focus has been slightly shifted.
“You are all mothers in your own right. Society might see your action as a mistake but having a baby is never a mistake. It’s only seen as a mistake because you are young, but a few years from now bearing a child would have been a natural state,” she continued.
The Women’s Centre of Jamaica Foundation supports young girls who have dropped out of school due to pregnancy. The centre has been providing academic instruction, individual and group counselling, as well as skills training to young mothers since 1978.
