Most of us can point to mentors in our lives who have guided and inspired us. But those with the AdAmi Project go beyond that. Not only do they serve as positive female role models who encourage the girls to live up to their potential; they also advocate for their mentees, helping them to access services from which low confidence, or stigma and discrimination would otherwise bar them.

In other words, the mentors help improve the girls’ own perception of themselves, and correct how service providers see them as well – as deserving of care rather than derision.

In the case of Halamatu, a 21-year-old mother enrolled on the AdAmi Project, the support which her mentor, Mariama, enabled her to access may well have saved the life of her 11 month old baby, who was suffering from severe malnutrition.

The local malnutrition clinic is supposed to provide specialist food for mothers like Halamatu and their malnourished babies, but in practice this often does not happen due to short supplies amongst other reasons. Halamatu would often attend the clinic with her baby for a weigh-in, but she struggled to access the specialist food and advice needed to help get her baby better again.

Extremely concerned at the baby’s small size, when Mariama, Adami’s social worker, visited the family, she accompanied them on their visit to the clinic and requested she be admitted as an inpatient. The nurses agreed – while they might assume girls like Halamatu either are not aware of their rights or will not fight for them, they know the same is not true of Mariama.

However, that night Halamatu’s boyfriend discharged them both, insisting that the baby was healthy. He later explained in a mediation session which Mariama facilitated that he didn’t want to be separated from Halamatu for the time they were in hospital, and was worried that the cost of the medicine and food from their stay would fall on him.

Undeterred, Mariama made clear her intention to help the family and told them of other sources of support for their child’s malnourishment. And it didn’t take long for Halamatu to act on Mariama’s advice.

A week later, on a welfare visit, the AdAmi team found Halamatu feeding her baby with porridge from a nearby hospital which Mariama had recommended. Shortly after Halamatu registered with another malnutrition clinic just outside her town, which was now supplying them with specialist malnutrition foods and would weigh and monitor her baby on a weekly basis.

The effects of this intervention were soon visible, as within two weeks, Halamatu’s baby went from weighing 4.5kg to 4.9kg. But as well as dealing with the immediate need, Mariama’s role as a mentor empowered Halamatu to proactively seek out support for her child. This encapsulates the AdAmi Project’s mission, which is not simply to provide short-term aid but to equip young women with the confidence, skills and knowledge to live healthy and fulfilling lives.

An AdAmi participant (not Halamatu) during a session with her mentor

It is heartbreaking that even basic, life-saving support, is not always forthcoming for young unmarried mothers. But, in a context where these young mothers are marginalised and stigmatised in their communities, even by healthcare professionals, the AdAmi Project’s mentors are crucial in ensuring the girls can access the services and support to which they are entitled.

Helping young mothers to help themselves – the role of mentors in the AdAmi Project