Help Two Adolescent Zim Girls Safely Give Birth

Charltan School Trust, a small non-profit organization in Zimbabwe , is seeking donations to assist two adolescent mothers give birth safely. Charltan School Trust provides formal education and vocational skills training for adolescent mothers and prematurely married young women (teen brides), under the age of 19, to sustainably improve their lives and the lives of their children.

The Trust seeks approximately $4,000 to cover the cost of C-sections and improved care at the public hospital for two adolescent mothers, ages 14 and 15.

"Susan," 14, was orphaned as an infant and living in impoverished circumstances when she was sexually assaulted by a 30-year-old man. The perpetrator of the abuse locked her up for three days and when he was found out, Susan was forced to marry him. She eventually ran away to the Charltan School Trust safe house to seek safety and a better situation for herself and her unborn child.

"Tino," 15, was forced to work early due to poverty. While working as a maid, she was sexually assaulted by a local man in the area in which she was working. She is currently unable to read or write.

Both cases have been reported to local law enforcement, but the perpetrators have not yet been arrested - if ever.

Both girls are due in February 2022 and the organization advocates for C-sections because local hospitals usually force the girls to give birth naturally, which due to the age of the mother, often results in the death of the child, mother, or both.

Charltan School Trust is small and struggling to do the best it can to support those who many in Zimbabwean society would rather not acknowledge. You can easily Google "child marriage/underage birth/child sexual abuse and Zimbabwe" to find numerous articles and statistics.

Volunteers are assisting with daily needs, creating a website, and getting the organization on more sustainable footing. In the meantime, please feel free to directly contact the person from whom you received this link for more details on the organization's efforts to support these young ladies.

The Trust appreciates any donation you are generously able to provide. Thank you.