By Michael Oriedo
First come the signs — missed menstrual period, nausea, extreme fatigue, frequent urination and tender breasts. Then comes the confirmation.
A test reveals a girl is pregnant. This realisation can elicit a whole range of emotions. While some women will rejoice and start preparing for the bundle of joy, for others, pregnancy plunges them into a crisis. Martha Bwore. 
Fear and apprehension sets in especially when one feels that the pregnancy threatens, among other things, her emotional, physical and psychological welfare.
Caught in such a dilemma, many girls fail to get the necessary support from their loved ones. Some relatives condemn them while others even banish them from home.
However, one organisation is offering women who find themselves in such a situation help and support.
Crisis Pregnancy Ministries (CPM) aids women to overcome challenges that crop up before, during and after pregnancy.
"We enable girls and women to positively tackle issues of pregnancy by providing information on reproductive health, crisis pregnancy and post pregnancy care," says Jackie Abuor, a counsellor at the organisation.
To achieve this, the institution has three programmes — Prevention, Intervention and Aftervention.
Visit schools
In prevention, they educate teenagers especially in churches and schools on sexuality as well as the need for abstinence.
"We go to schools around the country to share knowledge on sexuality and reproductive health," says 22-year-old Obadiah Kariuki, a peer educator with the organisation.
"We also talk to students about the importance of sexual purity and abstinence," he adds.
While doing this, the group debunks myths that contribute to the increase in sexual activity among the youth in different communities. "We once visited a school where girls believed that they could not get pregnant if they engaged in sex during the day. This information is deceptive. We educate the youth on how misleading the beliefs are," says Obadiah.
The intervention programme targets women who are in a crisis pregnancy. According to Abuor, the term refers to the perception of a pregnancy as a threat to one’s wellbeing.
"A woman can view a pregnancy as a crisis, for instance, when she believes it is a hindrance to her career development or when she foresees difficulties in raising the child. This calls for support," she says.
CPM also provides information on how the mother can ensure the baby is in safe custody if she does not want to keep it after birth.
"Our aim is to save the child. Some women do not want to keep the baby because of the challenges they face. We counsel them on adoption and foster parenting so that they make informed decision," she adds.
Although the institution deals with women of all ages, most of those who attend the sessions are between ages 16 and 30, observes Abuor.
"These are the ages mostly affected by the crisis," she says. However, married people also turn up for counselling when caught in a crisis pregnancy.
"Pregnancy in marriage can become a crisis, for instance, when the man views it as his wife’s fault or the couple was not prepared for another child," she says.
Rarely seek counselling
Abuor notes men rarely seek counselling despite being responsible for crisis pregnancies.
"They perceive pregnancy as a women’s affair. If men offered their women support, cases of crisis pregnancy would decline," she says.
Seventeen-year-old Maurine Chageha found herself in a crisis pregnancy after completing primary school.
"In 2007, after sitting my KCPE exams I realised I was pregnant. I saw myself as a burden to my parents. I could not take care of my needs as an expectant mother," she narrates.
"A friend introduced me to CPM. I came when and they counselled me. I was able to carry the baby to term," she adds. Girls at a group counselling session. They share experiences and guide each other. Photos: Michael Oriedo
After giving birth, Mourine enrolled in the aftervention programme based at a rehabilitation centre in Riruta Satellite, Nairobi. and learnt skills to make her self-reliant and take care of her baby.
Training for self-reliance
"We train girls between ages of 13 and 25 to impart skills that help them cater for their needs," says Martha Bwore, CPM’s projects coordinator.
Among the skills the girls learn include tailoring, tie and dye, tapestry, cookery and beadwork.
The girls learn for half a day every day. "We cannot keep them for the whole day because they are mothers and need to attend to their babies," Bwore says.
When they report to the centre, the girls come along with their babies so that they can watch over them. The babies stay at a day care centre within the rehabilitation centre.
Apart from these skills, the girls also learn baby care, nutrition, baby hygiene, counselling, work ethics and entrepreneurship.
"Some of the girls who were here sustain themselves and their babies with their small businesses," Bwore says proudly.
The girls also hold group-counselling sessions where they share experiences and guide each other.
On the day of the interview, they were discussing self-esteem and teenage pregnancy. Led by their instructor Lillian Nderitu, the girls talked candidly on how lack of self-esteem contributes to early pregnancies.
"When you do not appreciate yourself and a boy tells you that you are beautiful, you will fall for him. This is because he has appreciated you," said 20-year-old Christine Mukambai.
Another club at the centre is Young Mothers Club. Numbering 20, teenaged mothers congregate every Wednesday to encourage each other and learn how to take care of their babies.
Rose Wanjiku, 21, says she came to CPM and joined the club six months after giving birth in 2008.
"Then, I could not support my child and myself. Now I sew mats and make some money, which I use for my upkeep. I also learned how to take care of my baby. I plan to sit for my KCSE," she says.
However, not all the girls at the rehab are young mothers. Other girls are encouraged to attend and learn skills offered at the centre.
Beatrice Atieno,16, says since she came to the centre, besides skills like tapestry, she has benefited from other girls’ experiences.
"I witnessed the challenges they went through after getting pregnant and learned a lot," she says.
Atieno and others have a group called ‘Worth a Wait’ where they discuss sexuality and how to relate with members of the opposite sex.
Currently hosting 15 girls, Abuor, says the CPM hopes to involve more girls and even boys. "We leave out boys and men yet they are responsible for crisis pregnancies," she says.