8 August 2024 by Limpho Sello

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Ha Moqathinyane, a village of 370 households, is facing a crisis of a high number of young mothers in Mahobong, Leribe district.

Amohelang Mabathoana, an intern at Sesotho Media and Development Psychosocial Support, told Uncensored News that community leaders in Mahobong, Leribe district informed them organisation that Ha Moqathinyane was grappling with a high teen mothers’ crisis.

“Since we started in November, we learned that most households are poverty-stricken, which is one of the contributing factors to early and unintended pregnancies in the area,” Mabathoana said.

Usually, Mabathoana explained, many of these early and unintended pregnancies end in childhood marriages, while others result in single motherhood.

“What makes matters worse is that they drop out of school and are now stuck in poverty with their babies,” she added.

Porn addition

In an interview with Uncensored News, Mabathoana explained how some of these young girls shared their unusual sexual behaviours, including watching pornography videos to learn different sex styles to impress their partners.

“Some told me during our sessions that they date illegal miners (makhomosha) because these men can provide them with money to meet their needs,” Mabathoana said.

She added, “And that’s not all. They say when they are in these relationships, they share porn videos among themselves to learn various sex positions to entice their partners.”

Mabathoana explained that learning new sex styles to impress their wealthier partners usually ends in tears for these young women.

“Unfortunately, the pleasure does not end well for them. Hence, we had to step in and brainstorm how they can be assisted, as some are currently on their own now because their partners have disappeared.

“Those who are still with their partners find that their partners are either in temporary jobs or out of the country for work and send money back home. The girls are stuck at home with an uncertain future ahead of them.”

Meanwhile, *Ntaoleng, aged 21, told Uncensored News that she was in Grade 11 when she discovered she was three months pregnant by her boyfriend of five years.

“I was 19 years old when I gave birth to my child,” Ntaoleng shared on 2 August 2024.

Now facing uncertainty about her future, Ntaoleng wishes to return to school to complete Grade 11 and eventually go to university. However, her dreams might be thwarted because there is no one to look after her two-year-old child.

Her child is on the list of underprivileged children scheduled to receive government support from the Ministry of Gender, Youth, and Social Development.

“Even if I opt for a nanny, the child grant I am yet to receive from Social Development will not be enough to afford both a nanny and the child’s needs at the same time,” she said.

In June 2024, the Journalists Workshop organised by the United Nations Population Fund revealed that, according to the Ministry of Health DHIS 2 Routine Data, 26 girls under the age of 15 gave birth in the first quarter of 2024, from January to March. Additionally, 1,300 adolescent girls aged 15 to 19 also gave birth during this period.

The Lesotho Demographic and Health Survey 2023-2024 reported that the teenage pregnancy rate in the Leribe district for girls aged 15 to 19 is 11.5 percent for those who have ever had a live birth and 12.1 percent for those who have ever been pregnant.

Winds of change

From a group that exchanged porn videos to aspiring entrepreneurs and small-scale farmers, these young mothers, aged 17 to 22 years, are grateful for the training they are receiving from Sesotho Media and Development Psychosocial Support and the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security.

Sesotho Media’s Amohelang Mabathoana said the positive transformation for the young girls came after her organisation held a consultative meeting with Mahobong community leaders.

She explained that they began by engaging these young women on the factors influencing their early childbearing rates, intending to empower them by ensuring they regain their confidence and independence.

Mabathoana said her organisation has facilitated for the Ministry of Agriculture to implement programs that will change the girls’ mindsets, generate income, and provide food while they gain independence and resilience.

“This started in November 2023 when we began working with this community and learned about the lifestyle of youth in this place. One of our mandates is to empower youth and show them different positive livelihood approaches,” Mabathoana said.

On August 2, 2024, some of these young mothers were briefed about upcoming handicrafts and agricultural training sessions.

Mantomane Mahlaku, the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security’s Agricultural Assistant, said her ministry will teach these young mothers how to start climate-smart plots to grow crops to help feed their families.

Mahlaku also said they will teach handicrafts, including sewing, knitting, and creating decorative materials from plastics and glass, among many other activities to keep them busy.

“These activities will give them purpose. When we are done with the training, they will be able to produce items to sell and generate income,” she said.

“They will also be able to grow crops year-round from their gardens, which are easy to start and maintain, as long as they put in the effort.”

Meanwhile, *Ntaoleng said she is looking forward to the training from these two institutions.

“I believe it will help me find my footing. I am happy that we have been granted such an opportunity by Sesotho Media and Development, as well as the Ministry of Agriculture, because it gives us some purpose,” Ntaoleng said.