CHALLENGES STUDENT MOTHERS FACE [THOSE IN KIBABII UNIVERSITY] AND WHAT CAN BE DONE TO

HELP THEM.

Motherhood is a sophisticated and wonderful adventure for a woman. But for campus girls this may
come off as a challenge as most of them are usually at the prime of their youth and their hunger for
education outweighs any dreams of motherhood. Fortunately, most of them decide to embrace this new
journey despite the challenges it comes with. Being in a learning institution and having a baby to take
care of can be very stressing. Children under the age of five years need more attention from their
mothers in order to grow and develop well psychologically. This can be very hard for a young mother
who has to balance between attending classes and taking care of their baby.

Some of the challenges these student mothers face include;

1. Skipping lectures to take care of their children.

Since they cannot attend classes with children, most mothers have resorted to leaving their
children with someone for a while as they attend a lecture. Sometimes they may lack someone
to help and thus end up having to miss lectures. “Sometimes the whole week is packed with
lectures that I hardly get time to rest. It even becomes worse when the child is sick and unwilling
to go to any other person.” says Laura a third year student
2. Financial struggles.
Most student mothers struggle financially as they have to pay fees as well as provide for their
children. We all know taking care of a child especially one below five years of age is expensive as
they require a lot of things. With the rising economy it is hard for them to maintain a
comfortable lifestyle. Some of them end up doing menial jobs in order to provide for themselves
and the children as well.
3. Stigmatization
Some student mothers deal with stigmatization from their peers and parents. This is because
most people of their age believe that being a young mum is inappropriate and they have to
focus on their studies first. Some parents also believe that their children should not have kids
when in university or college since they will not accomplish their dreams. They thus end up not
showing support to the new mothers.
4. Lack of good school facilities.
Most universities do not have lactating and day care facilities and Kibabii University is not
different. Day care facilities would really help the mothers as they would leave their children
there and go to class comfortably knowing that they were in good hands.
5. Lack of support from the father of the child.
Most of them have a strained relationship with the baby daddy as most of them are unwilling to
support the kid. This thus ends up leaving all the burden to the mother.

Here are some of the things that I can do as journalists to help them.

1. Talking with administration to construct Lactation and day care centers. This will help these
young mothers attend lectures comfortably as they will know that their children are safe.
2. Talking with the administration to establish a Young student mothers Department where
student mothers can be taught how they can maneuver through the motherhood field as well as
remain focused on their education.
3. Talking to some of the student mothers and encouraging them to share their challenges and also
reminding them that they are not alone. This will help to amplify their voices.
4. Encouraging them to apply for student loans such as Helb and bursaries in order to help with
clearing of their fees.
5. With the help of some of the mothers, form a support group where all student mothers can join
and help in sharing of their experiences.