Conference Remarks in Sao Tome and Principe

It is an honor for me to be here today, not only as the U.S. Ambassador to Sao Tome and Principe, but also as a woman and mother who shares your concern about adolescent pregnancies and young mothers.
You have chosen an issue that challenges nations and communities worldwide.  But in the developing world the problem is even more pressing.  An early pregnancy robs an adolescent girl of her childhood.  It robs a family and community of a productive individual if she stops her education.  And it robs a nation of its most valuable resource – an empowered woman trained to her full potential.
Girls who stay in school and do not have early pregnancies become educated women who pass their knowledge to their children, families and communities.  However, we live in a world where many girls do become pregnant.  They should not be forgotten and pushed aside.  In fact, they need additional support so that they can care for their children, continue their education and learn skills that will help them earn an income.
Whether the skills are needlework or hair-braiding, to name two, girls and young women with children must be able to support themselves financially.  And they need the support and encouragement of their families and communities.

There are numerous community groups in Sao Tome and Principe providing training to girls and young mothers, and the successful models should be replicated and expanded.  For example, the United States assisted the “Amigos de Sarah” project to provide basic reading and writing skills to young women, along with teaching them to dye textiles.  The director of the school started losing students to pregnancies, so she opened a small day care center and crèche for the babies to help the mothers stay in class.
One question I hope you will tackle during the conference is how adolescent pregnancies can be prevented.  Again, education is key.  There is evidence from studies that the longer girls stay in school the less likely they are to have an early pregnancy.
In 2002, President George Bush launched an African education initiative that provided USD 600 million for scholarships to 550,000 African girls (in the last year the program was opened to boys).  The initiative also provided training to over 90,000 teachers in Africa.
Since its inception, the Ambassador’s Girls Scholarship Program has provided scholarships to 600 Sao Tomean girls to help pay for books and uniforms.  Mentors have also been assigned to help the girls set goals and guide them through difficulties at home and at school.  These girls would not have had the financial resources to attend school without the scholarships.  But a small amount of money goes a long way to give a girl a boost to get an education, to build, self-esteem, and avoid early pregnancy.
I would like to mention the close link between education, girls’ empowerment, and health, especially HIV/AIDS.  Young women who have control over their own lives – including economic power and social respect – have a greater ability to protect themselves against HIV infections.  The strength to say “No” and reject pressure from men to have sexual relations or to demand the use of a condom is not easily attained.  But it can help decrease the number of cases of HIV and of adolescent pregnancies. 
With the support of their families and communities young women and girls can gain the strength to say “NO!”

The United States has committed more than USD 1 billion in country-specific funding to HIV/AIDS prevention, care and treatment programs under the “President’s Emergency Program for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).”  PEPFAR also supports special gender-based initiatives that you might find interesting and worth noting in your discussions during the conference.
The “PEPFAR Vulnerable Girls Initiative” to reduce adolescent girls’ vulnerability to HIV, also known as the “Go Girls! Initiative,” is being implemented by Johns Hopkins University in Mozambique, Botswana and Malawi.  This PEPFAR initiative seeks to develop, implement and text multifaceted interventions to reduce girls’ susceptibility to HIV infection.
Another PEPFAR initiative, “Intervention with Microfinance for AIDS and Gender Equality (IMAGE)” is a South African community-based microfinance program with a gender and HIV curriculum.  By combining the three elements, the intervention is helping to reduce HIV vulnerability and gender-based violence against women, promote women’s empowerment, improve family well-being, and raise awareness about HIV.  Results from the program have shown a significant decrease in both violence between participating women and male partners, and risky sexual behavior among younger participants.
Before closing, I would like to raise the issue of violence against women, especially young women.  Gender-based and domestic violence is a serious public health and human rights issue.  Sao Tome is tackling this problem with government and non-government efforts.  The U.S. helped Sao Tome establish a hotline for victims of gender-based violence.  More can be done so that girls and women are safe and secure.  And we strengthen families and societies by empowering women to take greater control over their own lives.
I commend the Ambassador of South Africa for promoting the conference to commemorate Pan African Women’s Day and encouraging the participation of international organizations, especially UNICEF, bilateral partners and non-governmental organizations.  I also commend the government and people of Sao Tome, especially the women who organized the conference and committed themselves to a plan of action to meet the challenge of adolescent pregnancies and the situation of young mothers.
We are all concerned, and ready to help empower young women to be healthy, productive, leaders.

Thank you.