Regina Pasipanodya
With a brush and paint in her hand, Jane Busha* (14) from Epworth, a mother of a five-month-old baby, drew some beautiful small footnotes and a small heart on canva.
This is what came to her mind the moment she was asked for an art drawing, back in April while still pregnant.
At the time, Jane was about seven months pregnant. She drew the picture during an art therapy session organised by RhoNaFlo working with Hermit Art in April this year.
“When I was asked to draw anything that came first to my mind, I imagined my baby walking. I could see his little footnotes but at the same worried about his future on how I was going to provide for him,” said Jane as she starred at her son who is now learning how to sit.
Jane is one of the young mothers who got an opportunity to share her pain and worries using brush and paint.
In Zimbabwe, adolescent mothers often experience abandonment, stigma and isolation. Many lack essential skills and resources to successfully navigate motherhood.
According to Raising Children Network, teen mothers across the globe face significant levels of stress that can lead to increased mental health concerns.
Also on She Corresponds Africa Stigma and discrimination spur STIs among the homeless
In Zimbabwe, young mothers often face a myriad of challenges caused by the poor economic conditions as well as cultural values and norms, which disadvantage the girl child as compared to boys, when it comes to pregnancy.
Chipo Tsitsi Mlambo of RhoNaFlo Foundation, an organisation that has been working with different stakeholders including Hermit Art to help teenage mothers with maternal support and psychological support, confirmed that young mothers in different across the country are suffering from severe mental health.
“What these young girls are going through is serious, they are suffering mentally. Imagine living in a society where one has no one to turn to at such a young age. Perpetrators are living in the same community; they have no support and some don’t even know what they are going to eat for the day,” Mlambo said.
“It is painful and everything is just bottled inside their fragile hearts,” said Mlambo.
To address mental health issues in young mothers, Hermit Mlambo of Hermit Art has been conducting outreach programmes across the country reaching out to teen mothers to participate in therapy sessions helping them to open up and express their thoughts, emotions, and worries.
How does Art therapy work?
Speaking to She Corresponds Africa, Hermit said art therapy is a procedure of using either paint, oil pastels, markers, clay, and crayons on Canva to help troubled young mothers gain self-understanding, learn better coping methods, and work through their problems.
Starting July this year, Mlambo who is a self-made artist of about 15 years, has helped more than 20 young mothers in Epworth and Marange to cope with different mental issues using art therapy.
“I do paintings focusing on the girl child, particularly the teenage mothers’ since I believe that psychologically these kids are affected and usually find it difficult to open up to anyone about their problems,” he said.
Also on She Corresponds Africa Will the National Disability Policy Bill be enacted? ‘PWD’s anxiously wait for life changing Bill’
“So, through art, young mothers can unpack the issues of the heart; what is troubling them; issues that they are facing; how they are surviving; what keeps them going; and what their hopes and aspirations are for the future as well as how they feel their problems can be handled.
“Because art is therapeutic, the moment a person starts painting, the children get into the zone where they feel free to express their feelings, and that’s how they loosen up. In most cases, they offload anything in their chests as they feel that they are in a much safer space, and enjoy the experience at the same time.
“Working with these children I could see them connecting and sharing their stories freely,” said Hermit.
For Ruvimbo Makusha* (13), art therapy has helped her relive the dreams that she always had all her childhood.
“Today, I managed to draw an aeroplane and this is a dream that I always had that one day I would like to work as an air hostel, travelling in the air and seeing different places,” she said.
Ruvimbo is a mother of a two-month-old baby, who is also living alone in Epworth after being abandoned by her parents when she fell pregnant whilst in form one.
Since being forced out of the house, her dreams have shuttered. She had no hope for a better future.
However, art therapy has the power to help young mothers become hopeful and see a ray of their dreams.
“After this experience they become hopeful and I believe that hope is something that they need to continue going forward,” said Hermit.
In a similar situation, Kudzai (17) who received the news that she was HIV positive when she visited the clinic for antenatal care said she was shocked and did not receive the news well.
“I felt that my life was going to end and I needed colour in my life. When I was given the brush and paint what I needed was something that could brighten my gloomy days,” she said.
She made a drawing with a combination of white and yellow.
Young mothers and mental health
In an interview with She Corresponds Africa, counselling therapist, Cynthia Chiwandire said due to social isolation and stigma faced by young mothers, they are prone to poor mental health outcomes.
“Other therapies such as peer support groups, and counselling therapy can be used for those who can afford them, but considering the situation in Zimbabwe there are no interventions currently focusing on addressing the mental health of adolescent mothers,” Chiwandire said.
“These children need coping mechanisms to manage stigma experiences as well as give positive thinking as they are walking alone in their journey of motherhood.
“Usually, a child is affected when they are called mothers whilst their brain which is not prepared for such a drastic change and their normal development process is disrupted, they become vulnerable and lose their self-esteem.
“Inside, the young mothers would be crying out for help and they would feel helpless and alone without the courage to share their pain. Already they would be feeling isolated. This is painful. “Naturally, children can feel free to communicate when they play. That’s why I feel that given a paintbrush to paint they can easily share and explain what is happening using colours,” she said.
You might also like…
Illegal herbalists exploiting cancer patients for profit
Men’s participation in HIV prevention: A matter of concern in Zimbabwe
