Teen mothers of Basilan town gain access to routine immunization for their children

TUBURAN, Basilan (MindaNews / 14 June)—She said they were in-love. She was at Grade 6 and he at Grade 9. Sensing their intimate relationship, their parents consented to their marriage. Nidzma Wara was just 13 years old when she got married. Now at 19, she has two children, ages four and the youngest is six months old.

_{She married for love at age 13. Now 19, Nidzma Wara, a Yakan, is mother to two children under five years old. She had them vaccinated with the measles vaccine because, as she said, “for their own protection.” MindaNews photo by JULES L. BENITEZ taken 8 June 2023.}

Rahima (not her real name), now 25, was 15 when she married her boyfriend. Five years into the marriage, she separated from her husband because she was physically abused. Speaking in the Yakan dialect, she said, “He physically hit me almost twice a week.” She said her husband was often with his barkadas (group of close friends) and every time he has problems with the group, he displaced the anger on his wife. Naima only reached Grade 12 as she had to care for her child.

Misba Lingkatan, 19, was also 15 years old when she got married. “I married out of love,” she said in Yakan. Asked if she still love her husband now, she answered, “Ewan ko, Sir.” (I do not know, Sir.) All that she desires now is to go back to school and become a teacher in the future. However, she is not able to do this as she has to take care of her child.

Another young mother of two children, Nurmina Ahiamil, 23, married because she wanted to have a family of her own. She said that when one has her own family, she becomes more mature in facing life’s circumstances. She was 17 when she fulfilled this dream.

According Michelle M. Bibat, Rural Health Unit nurse, the four mothers were among the roughly 25 young mothers of barangay Mahawid in this municipality. These mothers married in their teens and were now struggling to raise their children and family. The village has 337 households, according to the 2015 Census of Philippine Statistics Authority.

As intimacy between two unmarried persons is generally prohibited among Yakan Muslims, early marriage is often resorted to in order to avoid bringing shame to the family’s honor.

The young mothers were among those who sought measles vaccination under the Measles-Rubella Supplemental Immunization Activity (MR SIA) campaign of the Department of Health (DOH) in Mindanao conducted from May 1 to 30. In Basilan, the United Nations Children’s Fund and Relief International supported the campaign with logistical support to the various RHUs in the island-province. The assistance is funded by the Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies (MACP), a grant-making foundation based in the United States.

_{Health front line workers from the Rural Health Unit of Tuburan pose for the camera after a long day of Measles-Rubella Supplemental Immunization Activity (MR SIA) campaign. MindaNews photo by JULES L. BENITEZ taken on June 8, 2023.}

“Children of teen mothers are among the vulnerable segment of the under five years old population, as child health awareness among young mothers is low,” said Marilou Cezar, project manager of the Relief International Covid19 Response in Priority Areas in the Philippines.

As of May 30, the Municipality of Tuburan reached 1,366 toddlers out of the 3,832 targeted infants and children between ages six to 59 months old. This is 35.65% of the target.

Jamira P. Marzoc, Officer-in-Charge of the RHU in Tuburan, explained that the low accomplishment rate may be due to Philippine Statistics Authority’s high population estimate, where the target was based. She added that per RHU’s operation timbang (weight measure campaign for children) data, the actual population of children under five years old is only 2,515 individuals. If used as the basis for performance appraisal, the percentage accomplishment will still be low at 54.31%.

The health personnel in Tuburan attributed the low turnout of MR SIA campaign to misinformation surrounding vaccination, in general. They said this started during the 2017 Dengvaxia vaccine controversy and compounded by the misinformation surrounding the Covid19 vaccination.

Children who received Measles, Mumps, and Rubella (MMR) vaccine are usually considered protected for life against measles and rubella, according to the DOH.

Despite the prevalence of misinformation surrounding routine vaccination, Nidzma, the young mother, was convinced that her child needed the measles vaccine. “Para sa kaligtasan ng aking anak (For the protection of my child),” she said. Nidzma got the proper information from the rural nurse assigned in her village. She believed her, “because she is a nurse,” she said.

For her part, Mizba, the younger mother who wanted to become a teacher, advised teenagers not to marry early. “Bago mag-asawa, magtapos muna nang pag-aaral at maghanap nang trabaho (Before plunging into marriage, finish your schooling and look for work),” she said. (By Jules L. Benitez / MindaNews)

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