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Bernadette
came to her local LIFE House desperate for help. Fleeing domestic violence,
pregnant with her third child, and with nowhere else to turn, she didn’t think
it would be possible to over-come longstanding issues and repair her
relationship with her family.
Her Support Plan worked on building confidence
and self-esteem and together with her Support Worker, Bernadette developed a
valuable network of friends and family to ensure she was happy and safe when she
was ready to leave our care.
*not real name
LIFE urges government to use taxpayers' money more imaginatively in developing countries
The UK pro-life charity LIFE says that government plans to invest £35m of new money for family planning in poor countries is “simply putting a sticking plaster over a gaping wound.”
Spokesman Niall Gooch says: “This funding is to enable a rapid-response-style unit to deliver contraceptives to countries with dwindling or no contraceptive stocks. But this is a superficial response to a deep and long-standing problem.
“It is unacceptable that there are thousands of unsafe abortions performed each year, that maternal death rates are so high and that young girls are forced out of education as a result of pregnancy in poorer countries - this is not in question.
“However, the answer lies not in thoughtlessly throwing yet more UK taxpayers' money at the problem. The solution is to devise a long-term programme of education so that women in poorer countries have real choice and real autonomy.
"But vote-seeking, media-savvy governments like the UK's don't pursue long-term aims such as this as the rewards may not begin to show for some time and they won't be able to claim the credit. So instead they waste some more of our scarce resources and tell the press all about it.
So what is the answer? “We need to begin by empowering women and girls through education so that their ambitions can go beyond motherhood if this is what they wish. If women have other, viable options and genuine routes to independence they are less likely to leave the education system early.
“In addition, a programme similar to the LIFE Education Programme which encourages delaying first sexual activity and promotes lifelong, loving relationships to young people, would help to create a new culture.
“These are not easy, quick-fix solutions and it will take years for significant change to occur. But they represent the only way forward and we are asking the UK government to eschew short-termism and embrace a programme which will change the developing world for good.”