Meeting a Girl Who Became A Mother at Twelve
BY MIRJAMI IVANOV
PHOTO: Maria helping her daughter to have her meal. The Bulgarian text on the pulpit means "God is Love".
A young pregnant mother brought her little daughter with pigtails to the church building. The soup kitchen for children in Bulgarian slum village was about to open. While the children were having their meal, our team members talked with the mother.
– What's your name?
– Maria.
– When is your baby due and how have you been feeling?
– In about two months. I am very well.
– Remember that you can receive a Baby Box from us before the child is born. It has clothes and different items for the baby. Just come here and ask the pastor's wife. She too is called Maria. How many children do you have?
– This one girl.
(Maria lives with her partner in a little house in the village. As is common for many Roma couples in Eastern Europe, they are not officially married.)
– It would be important that you get legally married. It would make your situation more secure. How old are you?
– Sixteen.
– Wait, if you are now sixteen, how old were you when your first baby was born?
– Twelve. (Maria replied with an awkward chuckle, knowing how we would react.)
– Dear girl, so very young! You have had no childhood! Take care and teach your children so that they won't have children so young and their life can be easier than yours!
Maria was listening quietly, shaking her head. (In Bulgaria it is the opposite to USA; shaking your head means "yes".) Her life certainly had not been easy. Nevertheless, this teen mother had met the challenge of motherhood in an exemplary way given her circumstances. She and the little daughter were dressed prettily and well groomed. She kept their small home clean and cozy.
After Maria's baby was born, our team visited the family. The second child was a boy. There was a Baby Box in the room, and Maria kept all the baby clothes there in neat order.
Again, one Baby Box reached a mother
who needed and appreciated it,
along with words of advice and encouragement.
Through this outreach,
the church has become
a familiar place for Maria’s family.
Nap time! Baby brother sleeps in the hammock.
The Baby Box serves as storage for baby items.
