Our solution

We realised that with the support of an adult they can trust, teenage mothers in Sierra Leone could have a healthy pregnancy, a safe birth and thrive as parents

Starting 2YoungLives Mentoring in Kuntorloh, Freetown

In 2017 Mangenda Kamara and Lucy November co-founded 2YoungLives as a pilot in the community at Kuntorloh, training local women to mentor pregnant teens. Thanks to individual donations, sponsored events, and with funding from funders such as The Souter Trust, The Eleanor Rathbone Trust, The Philip Henman Trust and Guernsey Overseas Aid, 2YoungLives grew from 3 mentors to 24 between 2017 and 2021. Not one of the 343 teenagers mentored during this time died, and we gradually adapted and improved the scheme. We have had a lot of media interest including a short documentary by the Evening Standard, an article in the Economist, and a BBC World Service radio programme.

What does mentoring involve?

Our mentors are trained to help each pregnant teen:

  • prepare for motherhood
  • deal with day-to-day issues they face
  • access antenatal care
  • have their baby in hospital
  • find a safe place to live
  • develop a small business
  • where possible, restore family relationships
  • return to school, do vocational training or develop their business
Meet the Mentors

What’s next for 2YoungLives?

From 2021 to 2024 we were a main workstream of a NIHR Global Health Research Group, CRIBS (Capacity. Research. Innovation. Building maternity Systems) in Sierra Leone led by KCL and the University of Sierra Leone. We carried out a pilot cluster-randomised control trial and showed that 2YoungLives significantly reduces the incidence of stillbirths and babies dying within the first month.

We have lots of supporters who are fundraising to help us train and fund more mentors in more communities. New partnerships and funding are currently being sought to further develop this project’s reach and impact.

Email lucy.november@kcl.ac.uk for more information.