Child mothers: Who will help rescue them?
By Julie Mad-Bondo
This blog has been a bit of a struggle for me – not because I don’t know what to say, but because I am talking about vulnerable children.
When I decided to take this ministry to the underbelly of life and serve the least of these, I had no idea where that would lead me. Nevertheless, I passionately desired to give a voice to the voiceless and hope to the hopeless. And that meant traveling to difficult and sometimes dangerous places; it also meant that often it was too precarious to even speak about the things I’d witnessed.
One of those risky topics is child mothers. Adolescent pregnancy is a global phenomenon with serious health, social, and economic consequences. In many African countries, for example, cultural norms encourage infanticide – the killing of newborns. When a girl has a baby out of wedlock, it brings shame upon her family, even if the child mother is the victim of rape or incest. I’m speaking about children as young as 10 or 11 having babies who are later murdered by relatives, such as grandparents.
And let me assure you – it’s one thing to know these things are happening; it’s another to sit across from individuals who have endured such trauma, who have been used, abused, and at times disowned by their loved ones through no fault of their own.
Did you know an estimated 2 million girls give birth before they turn 15 years old?
If you follow me on Facebook, you’ll remember I asked you to pray for a pregnant 13-year-old who had been raped by a close family member. By God’s grace, we were able to find help for her. She had her baby via C-section just a few weeks ago. But she is just one of the child mothers in our program who are victims of sexual abuse by family members or friends.
Even more horrifying, I learned some hospitals have a specific department that handles child mothers’ cases. How do they help these young girls?
By immediately making the girls have abortions.
In case you’re wondering, I got this information straight from the mouths of ladies in the community.
Someone needs to rescue these children – these child mothers and their unborn babies.
Someone needs to challenge the hearts of brothers and sister in Christ. Together, we can not only save the lives of these precious babies being killed in the slaughterhouse, but we can also share the Gospel with a dying world.
Who is that someone? Me! I’m inviting you to join me in rescuing these children. I’m stepping out in faith and asking God to touch your heart as I share these horrible acts happening as we speak.
Three critical needs
Your donation will help us care for these child mothers and their babies. Gifts of $15, $25, $50, $100 or more will help provide these young mothers with a safe place to live, educational opportunities, valuable life skills, trauma counseling and more. You can also sign up to become a monthly supporter. And please consider Julie’s Heart Cry as you determine your year-end charitable giving!
Our critical needs in order of urgency:
A vehicle for transporting ministry items in the Central African Republic, my use when in town, doctors’ appointments and/or hospital visits for child mothers, etc. The cost for a reliable truck is $60,000.
Funds for our Youth at Risk program. We need your help to meet the needs of young people as we provide shelter, an education, mentoring, and discipleship in God’s Word.
The Medical Emergency Fund, which covers medical bills for child mothers and children in the Youth at Risk program. These include doctors’ appointments such as prenatal and postnatal care, C-sections, etc.
With all the needs here in the United States, you may wonder why I am serving children in other parts of the world. The answer is simple: “… and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the world.” (Acts 1:8).
