KINGSTON, Jamaica – The Women’s Centre of Jamaica Foundation (WCJF) is set to open a new facility dedicated to teenage mothers in St Catherine.
Olivia Grange, Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment, and Sport, announced the development, emphasizing its importance for the region. “St Catherine is experiencing rapid population growth, and it’s crucial that we provide support for our teenage mothers in this area,” Grange stated.
The announcement was made during a handover ceremony for a wellness bench donated by the Ministry of Health and Wellness. The bench was presented to the WCJF at their Kingston office.
Grange praised the WCJF for its effective support of teenage mothers, highlighting the foundation’s success in helping young women achieve their educational goals and make informed decisions about their futures.
Over the past decade, the repeat pregnancy rate has remained below two percent, indicating the foundation’s impactful work.
Olivia Grange
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Currently, the WCJF supports approximately 500 adolescent mothers across Jamaica. “This centre is vital for our young women, especially those whose progress was interrupted by teenage pregnancy. We commend the foundation for its impressive track record in fostering successful young women,” Grange added.
A key initiative of the foundation, the Adolescent Mothers Programme, is designed to assist girls aged 17 and under who are pregnant. The programme allows these young mothers to continue their education at WCJF centres for a term before reintegrating them into the formal school system after childbirth.
