Damamli is a program dedicated to supporting pregnant and parenting teen mothers in Maryland, placing emphasis on educating young mothers to be able to thrive independently. Damamli is an African term meaning a “Beautiful Vision” – it is our hope that our young women learn critical life skills necessary to build a beautiful future.
We provide a three-phased support system to ensure that our teen mothers are equipped with the skills they need to become independent and self-sufficient young women and mothers. We offer the program to mothers between the ages of 16 and 20 years old who are in the foster care system or with the Department of Juvenile Services. Damamli is licensed to provide services to a maximum of 24 mothers and can accept mothers who are pregnant or have up to two children.
Phase One: Damamli Foster Care
Phase One of the Damamli program provides our mothers with the opportunity to raise their children in a safe and nurturing foster home. While in the foster home, they work with a foster parent and case manager to begin developing a plan for their future and working on the steps necessary to accomplish their goals. Foster parents in our Damamli program work closely with our teen mothers to help them build critical parenting and independent living skills. Once prepared, Damamli assists clients in transitioning to a supported, independent living apartment.
Phase Two: Damamli Supported Independent Living Apartments
Phase Two celebrates our teen mothers’ new parenting and independent skills through placement in a furnished, supported independent living apartment. While living in an apartment owned and monitored by Hearts & Homes, mothers are supported by a licensed social worker and participate in weekly group training sessions. Through this experience young parents are prepared to live independently with their baby. If at any point mothers require additional support, they are eligible to move back to a foster home environment.
Phase Three: Damamli Independent Living Apartments
Most mothers in Phase Three of our Damamli program are approaching 21 years of age when they will not be supported by state care. It is the hope that through their educational placements and gainful employment, our mothers will be able to maintain their apartments and families upon graduation from our program.
Preparing Our Teen Mothers for Successful Independent Living
We prepare our teen mothers to be successful, strong women capable of raising healthy, happy children. We offer a variety of classes aimed to educate and heal:
- Parenting Classes (focusing on parent-child relationship building and child development)
- Life Skills Classes (using the Casey Life Skills curriculum)
- Stress Management Classes (using the Structured Psychotherapy for Adolescents Experiencing Chronic Stress (SPARCS) curriculum)
By participating in the classes, above, our teen mothers receive training in the following functional areas:
- Pregnancy prevention
- Developmental stages
- Anger management
- Discipline
- Communication
- Money management
- Household management
- Health
- Hygiene
- Employment preparedness
- Community resources
The Damamli Commitment
Our Damamli Program is committed to working with all of our teen mothers to provide them with the following benefits:
- Monthly trainings and support groups
- Financial stipend
- Family recreational activities
- Daycare referrals and payment of daycare services
- Regular home visits
- Educational assistance
- Employment guidance
- Mental health referrals
- Substance abuse referrals
To learn how you can help support the immediate needs of all of our teen mothers, please visit Support the Children to find items on our “wish list”