Entry Instance

HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept

{
    "id": 490908,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/490908/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 32,
    "type": "other",
    "speaker_name": "",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "scenario unfolded. I ended up with four generations of women all of them falling below 35 years of age. The story behind this was very shocking. When I interrogated the youngest mother in that room who was herself only 12 years old, holding a three month old baby, I came to realise that her mother, the grandmother of that child was also in this youth meeting. The mother was 24 years old. Shockingly, the great grandmother of this child, who was herself three months to celebrating her 35th birthday was also in this room. I took my time to talk to these three generations of women languishing in poverty. The story was that the great, great grandmother, herself just about 35 came to Nairobi at the age of 11 when she had just completed her primary education to look for school fees. Since she could not locate her auntie, she ended up in an uncomfortable scenario that led to a pregnancy. She gave birth at the age of 12 and ended up in one of the slums of Nairobi. That baby girl that she gave birth to, by the time she was eleven-and-a-half years, because of the same vicious cycle of poverty, fell pregnant and had her child at just around 12 years. That child also fell pregnant at 11 years. So, we had four generations, the great grandmother at 35 years, the grandmother was 24 years, the mother was 12 years and the baby girl was three months. It is not enough for us, as a society and as Government to state that we have back- to-school policies. I applaud the Government for that. We have very good policies that afford anybody the opportunity to go back to school. I also want to applaud the Government for our very good policy of free primary education, but let us face the reality. There are certain scenarios that cannot allow somebody to go back to school even if you offer them free education and accommodation. These young mothers will not go back to school if you will not put in place policies that will also take care of the children that they have already borne. Once a mother, always a mother; so, by the time a baby of 12 years gives birth, her motherly instincts will not allow her to take advantage of the opportunity to go back to school and drop her child in the streets."
}