Fanette,17 holds her baby Beyonce, 2-months. The father, unusually hasn’t run off and provides small money to assist in the child care. Fanette hopes that someday she will be able to have a job. Fanette, 17 Baby Beyonce, 2 months Rwanda 2018

The room is dank, poverty hangs in the air as Beatha, a single mother breast feeds her daughter Divine on the solitary bench. Beatha and daughter Divine Rwanda 2018

Baby Brighton’s hand is held by his mother Grace. They live in a hovel of a house shared with her grandmother who makes her feel guilty that she is a single mother who allowed herself to be raped. Baby Brighton Rwanda 2018

“As a child we lived in grinding poverty, forcing me at the age of 13 to work as a domestic. I became pregnant with a boy who also worked there. When my boss learnt of my pregnancy, she fired me. My family, out of shame threw me out forcing me to be homeless. In the beginning I slept in a local church begging for food. A good Samaritan took me in the last months of my pregnancy. As an unemployed single mum I am now contemplating becoming a sex worker to support my son because I cannot find work, my twin sister is a sex worker and she suggested I join her.” Lucie, 18 Kevin, 21 months Rwanda 2018

In her cell sized stifling room, Lucie,18 with her son Kelvin 2, tells her story of being a single unemployed mother. She is now contemplating becoming a sex worker to support her son. Lucie, 18 Kevin, 21 months Rwanda 2018

Daniella sleeps on her mother Diane, who shares her story of how she left school when she became pregnant at 16. “I discovered he had a wife and children,he lied when he said we would marry me.” Daniella Rwanda 2018

“My 4 younger sisters and I became orphans a few years ago when I was 14. An older man in the neighborhood said he would help us financially. I ended up sleeping with him and became pregnant. He promised to marry me, but he was already married with a family. He ran away. I wanted to commit suicide, it was impossible for me to predict my future, I would have to leave school and take care of all my sisters and a baby. My aunt threw us out of her house soon after Tracey was born, we became homeless. When I look for work I get propositioned, men only will hire me if I have sex. Sometimes I want to give up, but I have all those who depend on me.” Angelique, 19 Daughter Tracy, 20 months Rwanda 2018

In a poverty ridden room, a bicycle dominates the space where Sophia, a single mother lives with her adopted mother who is a menacing drunk. She has no option to leave; because she needs to look after her baby and therefore cannot get a job. Rwanda 2018

“I met my boyfriend in church, we got close and ended up making love, it was spontaneous. I missed my period and suspected I was pregnant. At the clinic they confirmed my status. I thoughtI only met this guy a few weeks ago and now I find myself pregnant I didn’t even know who he is, how could have been so stupid! After a few weeks when I told him, he asked me to marry him and I said a big NO as I thought it was too early. We broke up and I haven’t seen him since. I am a member of the ‘Hope for Rwanda’ programme where I have the opportunity of meeting other girls in exactly my situation, a single mother who has had to abandon their dreams. We gain strength being together and supporting each other.” Florette, 19 Son, La vie, 2 Rwanda 2018

The church in Rwanda is the centre of the community for most inhabitants as it forms the very fibre of the moral compass of its citizens. Virtually all homes are adorned with religious Christian symbols. It is illegal in Rwanda to have an abortion. Those pregnant adolescent have no other option, as they also are in fear of their souls being marked for hell if they ‘kill’ a life through aborting, even if the unborn child is through unwarranted circumstance. Rwanda 2018

Sophia and her mother sit with her baby in a mud clad poverty home, their religious devotion is reflected in an alter styled table and wall hangings. She fell pregnant when she was 15 by an older man she barely knew. Sophia with her mother and baby Rwanda 2018

9-month baby girl Gara’s ribs protrude from her tiny body, she is sickly, suffering from acute malnutrition as a result of neglect from her mother. Rwanda 2018

Janet with her small baby strapped to her back cooks for her grandmother. She rarely is given food, treated like a slave. Rags hang on her malnourished frame,her eyes are void of life. Janet Rwanda 2018

Speciose breast feeds her daughter Solange in a dank mud clad room, devoid of amenities, shared with her siblings and two goats. Solange Rwanda 2018

Filette is mentally disabled, non-verbal and suffers from acute epileptic fits since a young child. She was raped at 15 and became pregnant. The situation is very fragile for her baby Cynthia, 13 months because she is not competent to tend to her baby’s needs without the support of her mother. Filette Baby Cynthia Rwanda 2018

Nesthe, 18, 8 months pregnant stands at the doorway of her mother’s home. Unemployment is high in this Rwandan agricultural region. She can barely cover the most basic of necessities. Nesthe Rwanda 2018

Ornella’s daughter Ashimwe plays a game of hide and seek dashing in and out of their tidy small house. Rwanda 2018

Brian William waits patiently for his Mum in the late afternoon heat, still sleepy from a nap. Rwanda 2018

“I named my baby Jessica Genesis because it was the beginning of my life. The father of my child ran away because he knew he could go to jail for getting a minor pregnant. I hid from the community, I didn’t want them to see me in that condition in fear of the shame I was bringing to my family.” Antoinette, 19 Jessica Genesis, 12 months Rwanda 2018

“I dated a man a lot older, he was 32 and I was 17. I discovered I was pregnant and I knew he didn’t love me and was only interested in sex. I wanted to commit suicide when I learnt I was pregnant because I couldn’t see a future. When I confronted the father of the child, he said he had no interest in taking responsibility and knew I couldn’t afford the DNA test to prove his paternity”. I always dream of being a journalist to give a voice to girls like me that have brought shame to their family and fall into depression as they feel their lives have been crushed by becoming pregnant and raising a child as a single mother.” Sandrine, 19 Rwanda 2018

“I was raped at the age of 15 by two men; the unintended consequence was my pregnancy. After the rape I returned home but was too frightened to tell my grandmother. I hid my pregnancy for 8 months fooling everyone. Initially I felt nothing for this child, a loveless burden. I feel very vulnerable because at any time my grandmother can throw me out, where would I go? I have no means of support. ” Faslati,17 Aime, 18 months Rwanda 2018

“I was raped by a man in my community, he drugged me, I cannot remember anything. I was only 13. A few months later I found out I was pregnant, I couldn’t believe it, I didn’t want to have a baby, I was too young, I wanted to be at school. The man totally vanished. When Fabrice was born I didn’t feel any love for him, but now I feel empathy and love. I am obsessed with the survival of my son. Being a mother has taught me responsibilities and not to be selfish.” Vanessa, 18 Fabrice, 4 years old Rwanda 2018

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Fabrice is the son of a single mum who was raped. Although not in school he enjoys spending time with his mum doing errands and playing with the neighbour children. Frabrice, 4 Rwanda 2018

“For the first time I made love with my boyfriend we didn’t use a condom which we knew was risky. Now I am pregnant, I told my boyfriend and he said one day we will get married, but I don’t trust him. I was thinking about abortion, but I love him and don’t want to lose his baby. I feel lost” Mwutire, Rwanda Fanette Umuhoza16, 5 months pregnant

“I was finishing my last year in school and became pregnant. I was horrified, I wanted to abort, as I would be forced to leave school. My future would be dim. After I could not raise the fees for abortion, I felt my only option was to commit suicide My friend told my mother of my situation and she said; ‘Since I sinned once by getting pregnant I should not sin again’. After the baby was born I initially felt a deep sense of loneliness, but as I fell into my role I also learned to be responsible and strong.” Olive, 20 Daughter Giselle 2 years Rwanda 2018

“I was finishing my last year in school and became pregnant. I was horrified, I wanted to abort, as I would be forced to leave school. My future would be dim. After I could not raise the fees for abortion, I felt my only option was to commit suicide My friend told my mother of my situation and she said; ‘Since I sinned once by getting pregnant I should not sin again’. After the baby was born I initially felt a deep sense of loneliness, but as I fell into my role I also learned to be responsible and strong.” Olive, 20 Daughter Giselle 2 years Rwanda 2018

Neslathe breastfeeds her small daughter Lenatha. “Becoming a mother was a wake-up call, the added chores and responsibilities being a mother; the work is doubled, and exhaustion takes over.” Neslathe Rwanda 2018

Sophia fell pregnant when she was 15 by an older man she barely knew. Sophia Rwanda 2018