United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)
Dajabón, Dominican Republic, Dec 19 (EFE).- By Moncho Torres
The Dominican Republic is one of the countries in Latin America and the Caribbean with the highest rates of teenage pregnancy, a scourge that women supported by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) are determined to end. Their efforts range from empowering young girls to increasing access to sexual education and family planning.
The issue disproportionately affects the most vulnerable populations and is particularly acute along the border with Haiti. Provinces like Elías Piña have 79% of households in low or very low socioeconomic conditions, according to data from the Ministry of Economy, Planning, and Development (MEPyD) published in a UNFPA report.
The report notes that teenage pregnancy is more prevalent in border provinces than in the rest of the country, accounting for one in four pregnancies compared to one in five nationwide. With 77 births per 1,000 women aged 15 to 19, the Dominican Republic has one of the highest teenage pregnancy rates in Latin America.
To tackle the issue at its root, UNFPA has supported the creation of a network that extends beyond health centers and hospitals to neighborhoods and private homes known as “key houses,” managed by community leaders.
Grismary Carrasco runs one such “key house” in the border town of Dajabón.
“I was a teenage mother; I went through that experience, so now I love working to help teenage girls avoid going through what I went through. I’m a mother of three, and I’m only 27 years old,” Carrasco told EFE.
She highlights the “greater privacy” of the key house, where she distributes an average of 190 condoms per month. “Sometimes they come at midnight or one in the morning, and I hand out condoms to the boys even through the shutters,” she said.
Carrasco also acts as a confidante for teenage girls, encouraging those who, like her, became pregnant.
“That’s what I often talk about with the girls in the community—that even though they’re pregnant, life doesn’t end there; (…) they have to fight for what they want,” she said.
A gateway to the healthcare system
As part of the network, Centros de Primer Nivel de Atención (Primary Care Centers, or CPNA) serve as the initial entry point into the healthcare system, providing prenatal care and contraceptives before referring patients to hospitals.
Dr. Encarnación de Pula, director of a CPNA in the border town of Pedernales, expressed concern about the rising number of teenage pregnancies.
“We’re worried about the issue of teenage pregnancies because, in recent years, the numbers have increased,” Dr. de Pula said.
She also noted that some underage girls from impoverished families engage in relationships with adults in exchange for food, a phone, or clothing, even though “this is illegal.”
‘Motorcycle ambulances’ provide a lifeline
In the final months of pregnancy, mothers are referred to hospitals. However, in the remote and underserved border provinces, where communities are connected by rough dirt roads, reaching healthcare facilities can be a challenge.
In Elías Piña, UNFPA has donated four “motorcycle ambulances” to help bridge the gap. These three-wheeled vehicles are equipped with a rear compartment for patients.
On a recent Wednesday, three pregnant women arrived at Rosa Duarte Hospital via motorcycle ambulance. They were Haitian farmworkers, exhausted after more than an hour’s journey.
Among them was Yolanda, a 30-year-old mother of six, pregnant with her seventh child. She had her first child at 15.
‘Building Dreams’
UNFPA recognizes that achieving zero teenage pregnancies in the Dominican Republic requires raising awareness from an early age.
Alicia Estévez is part of Building Dreams, a girls’ club in Dajabón. She mentors 30 girls aged 8 to 11, teaching them about “their rights over their bodies and that no one is allowed to touch them.”
She explained, “Many adults come here and deceive them, offering them things or promising a bright future. Then, when they get pregnant, they abandon them and leave.”
Estévez works to help the girls imagine a different future.
“Now, they want to study, work, and earn their own money. They realize they don’t need anyone to give them money. Their mindset has completely changed, which is exactly what we aim for—to empower them,” she said.
Gathered at the club, the girls confidently list their aspirations: flight attendant, security guard, doctor, teacher, lawyer, soldier, agricultural engineer, professional dancer, and pilot. EFE mt/acm/abz/jrh
This article was produced with the support of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).
