To break the stigma surrounding teen pregnancies, Eunice Akinade, a senior in the Math and Sciences Academy, recently set up a GoFundMe to donate care packages to organizations that benefit teen moms in Nigeria and Virginia for her senior project.

“Teenage pregnancy is already a difficult time for both the teenage mother and father of the baby, and adding any more pressure to them, will be unbeneficial to either one,” said Eunice.

Care packages will consist of a drawstring bag filled with a brochure on how to take care of a newborn, Pampers, a new set of baby clothes, a bottle, a bib, and maxi pads for the mother for postpartum weeks.

“The Hand In Hand program was quite hard to find because there aren’t many programs that help teenage moms [in Virginia Beach], which needs to be addressed. The Honor Ground Orphanage was chosen because it is located near one of the highest cases of youth pregnancies in Nigeria,” said Eunice.

Eunice’s senior project focuses on research into pediatrics and neonatology, which is responsible for her interest in the topic of teen pregnancy.

“There needs to be a reevaluation in the way teen moms are viewed because, in my opinion, some were not expecting to get pregnant and probably didn’t believe they could get pregnant so quickly,” said Eunice.

According to Eunice, the emphasis should be placed on abstinence at such a young age or on several protection methods. 

“There should be more programs in place to assist teenage moms with both education, transportation, and opportunities to become financially stable,” said Eunice, who believes that families and friends should accept and support young moms because their rejection will only cause limitations for both mom and child, and the baby’s future.

For more information, go to Eunice’s GoFundMe and help her reach her goal of $400 by Nov. 30. at http://gf.me/u/y7xjpi