Teenage Pregnancy in Sierra Leone: And What Seems to Be Hope

By: Augusta Osmatu Bangura

Every day, 20,000 girls under 18 become mothers. In Sierra Leone, 28% of girls aged 15–19 are either pregnant or are already mothers. This growing tumour is even worse in districts like Pujehun, where nearly half of the girls are teen mothers. The Sierra Leone Demographic and Health Survey, conducted by Statistics Sierra Leone, with the help of international partners like UNFPA and UNICEF, indicates that girls in rural areas, girls who are out of school, girls raised in abject poverty, or lacking parental guidance are most likely to experience teen pregnancy compared to girls in urban areas, who are educated, financially stable, and have parents who are present.

Every girl deserves a future beyond the statistics

The World Health Organization also reports that girls who lack choices and opportunities in life, or who have limited or no access to Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights care and education, are more likely to become pregnant. But, while statistics point to poverty, rural life, and a lack of guidance and education as driving forces, reality tells a different story.

Take Mabel, a 16-year-old SSS3 commercial student, for example. Mabel, unlike the risk factors mentioned in the survey, has a wonderful family with parents who adore her, and attends a private school where, in fact, her dad teaches. She lives in the urban part of the country and has known nothing of poverty for all 16 years of her life—except—plot twist—she did get pregnant! Turns out, life didn’t get the memo because statistics forgot about Mabel. So, this leaves us asking, what went wrong? What went wrong was that Mabel, the star who came down burning, was a shy, reserved, respectful girl no one had to worry about because she gave them no reason to. Her parents never saw it coming until it did, thinking that they had it all figured out. Only after the damage was done did they realize that Mabel was under peer pressure in school to let go of her innocence, and at that time, her mom and teachers blamed themselves for not educating Mabel and girls like her about SRHR. Would that one error have saved Mabel from falling? Perhaps! But the fact that her parents aren’t what you’d call poor worked in her favour since she was able to return to school. But of course, consequences always come back to bite you—she lost two years of her life and is left with an unfading scar.

Every girl deserves the chance to be a child, to dream, and to explore not to carry the weight of motherhood responsibilities

Mabel’s story, though heartbreaking, is a wake-up call—one that institutions like Olive B Academy are stepping up to answer.

Education is the key to breaking the cycle and unlocking a world of opportunities

Founded by Olive Baimba, a healthcare professional, and her husband, both based in the U.S., the school is a self-funded, all-girls STEM boarding academy set to open in Kerry Town, Waterloo this September. But it's more than just a school. It’s a safe haven. From its very design—with male teachers’ quarters deliberately placed outside the school fence—to its mission of shielding girls from the distractions and dangers that often derail their future, Olive B Academy was built with intention. Offering a Cambridge-standard education from kindergarten to senior secondary, it aims to inspire girls to pursue careers in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics while also grounding them in Christian values, self-worth, and abstinence— discouraging them from premarital sex. The school’s current goal is not profit, but transformation

An investment in girls' education is an investment in a brighter, better, and more equal future.

—providing opportunities for the brightest girls from financially struggling homes. It might not end teenage pregnancy overnight, but it is a revolutionary start—proof that with the right environment, mentorship, and faith, our girls can rise above the statistics.