Breastfeeding rooms bring peace of mind, help prevent dropouts

It is about 1pm and cool air freshens the area as mothers share a quiet moment outside the breastfeeding room at the University of Rwanda’s College of Arts and Social Sciences.

Sunlight filters through the window, casting a glow on the serene space with four full-sized beds, plush chairs, and tables. Also in the room is a collection of baby essentials. Bottles, diapers and soft toys are scattered about, a testament to the lives intertwined within these walls. Two young women cradle their babies while breastfeeding them.

This is a breastfeeding room the University of Rwanda established recently at each of its six colleges – bringing relief to scores of single mothers who, in the past, had to face stigma and financial hardship because of travelling to breastfeed.

Pregnancy not the end of the world

When she became pregnant, Donatha Niyodusenga felt the world seemed bleak. “Pregnancy felt like a dead end,” the 22-year-old second-year student in the faculty of arts and linguistics confides. “I considered dropping out. The financial burden was immense, and I felt ashamed.”

As a university student, she had no option but to endure the pregnancy and wait until she gave birth.

“After giving up, I struggled to balance my studies and take care of my kid. It was not easy as a single mother,” she says. “My mother was not happy when she found out that I was pregnant. I isolated myself from the entire family and had to live my life alone, which complicated the situation of raising the baby as a single mother.”

Academic performance suffers

After a few months, Niyodusenga opted to rent a small room outside the campus where she lived together with a maid. She used to go home to breastfeed her baby at least twice a day, something she admits was a setback.

“After giving birth,” she says, “I was broke due to the expenses I incurred; it was hard for me to cater for the baby when I reported back to university as I had to constantly go back and forth to breastfeed my child, which was both expensive and exhausting,” she says, admitting that it was hard to attend classes regularly or concentrate in class. This affected her performance.

“Sometimes, I got distracted and my mind was on where my child was and what she felt,” she says. “Sometimes I failed to attend afternoon courses and stayed home when I went home to breastfeed my baby.”

Facing stigma brings shame

Single mothers from different colleges say they faced stigma whenever they could bring their babies to campus, especially when it was time to breastfeed them. Such is the situation with scores of single mothers from the University of Rwanda’s different colleges, the country’s largest and sole public higher-learning university.

“Sometimes we had to breastfeed our babies in the open – for instance, under the shade of the trees, which made us feel ashamed. Some single mothers opted for suspending courses until their kids grew up before they resumed their studies,” Niyodusenga says.

She felt relieved when the University of Rwanda established a breastfeeding room in each of its six colleges. At the College of Arts and Social Sciences that hosts more than 8,000 students and is the largest college, single mothers have acquired a fully equipped, four-bed room.

Students believe that the breastfeeding room is a beacon of hope, a place where they can find solace, support, and the strength to pursue their dreams.

Breastfeeding rooms bring hope

“This room changed everything. It is a safe and secure place, where I can breastfeed my kid and focus on my studies without the constant worry,” says Niyodusenga, her voice filled with gratitude.

“As single mothers, we feel safe as we have a holistic breastfeeding room. Whenever I leave my child here, I have no worries. Volunteers take good care of our kids. Their diapers are changed, and there are soft toys. The room is more than just a physical space, it’s a symbol of hope and resilience and a hope for single mothers who will be studying without any hindrance.”

Countless other student mothers feel the same. “Before, we had no safe place to breastfeed our kids, and we were forced to breastfeed under the trees which was a source of shame. Now, we have a safe, secure space. It’s made a world of difference,” another single mother, who prefers anonymity, says.

“The room has security and is self-contained with all the necessary materials to breastfeed our kids and take care of them. Even those who can’t afford a maid can leave their kids there when they are asleep, and when they wake up, the university staff notifies them. We are grateful [they are] thinking about us. We also feel encouraged to concentrate on our studies.”

Student welfare at the forefront

Theresie Nyirahabimana, director of student welfare, explains that, by establishing a breastfeeding room, the university wanted to create an environment where mothers feel supported and empowered.

“We established the breastfeeding room on campus to support single mothers and mothers, in general, to breastfeed their children. By providing this room and postnatal care, we hope to reduce the risk of abortion and dropout,” she says.

“When a student becomes pregnant, we don’t reject or abandon her. We take care of these students and guide in various ways, understanding that we are also parents. We offer counselling and support to ensure they can continue their education without feeling isolated or overwhelmed,” she adds.

Reproductive health needs important

The University of Rwanda has taken significant strides in addressing the sexual and reproductive health needs of its students. Vice-Chancellor Professor Didas Kayihura Muganga says the clinics, centres, and clubs on the campus offer a comprehensive range of services and support.

Muganga emphasises the university’s commitment to student well-being. “We provide counselling, support and education. We have a social support department that is dedicated to assisting students in need.

“If a student gets pregnant, she reports it, so that we can provide her with special care and attention. The university has a student affairs department that offers counselling and handles these cases. We support students where we can, and we continuously provide sexual and reproductive health education.”

He says, however, that the university does not necessarily keep records of how many students fall pregnant while still on campus. “They have the right to get pregnant as they are not minors. Sometimes they decide to get married when still on campus and we don’t treat pregnant cases as isolated and delicate cases.”

Private institutions offer fewer services

While the University of Rwanda has made substantial progress, private institutions face unique challenges. Professor Callixte Kabera, vice-chancellor of the Kigali-Remera and Nyagatare City campuses at East African University, acknowledges the absence of dedicated breastfeeding rooms at different private universities and institutions of higher learning education. Kabera is also president of the Private Universities’ Association.

He does, however, highlight the importance of sexual and reproductive health education and the availability of on-campus clinics.

“We do have a clinic and permanent nurses who operate it to help students get health care, including contraceptives and advice. We also engage young women students in sexual health and reproduction education through clubs and seminars with the ministry of health,” Kabera says.

He says that, if a student falls pregnant, she continues her studies without any problem as she is educated about sexual health and has access to on-campus clinics for consultation.

“Private universities don’t have rooms for mothers, but they do have sexual reproductive health clubs. Nowadays, as we receive many foreign students, we have taken measures to improve student life. That is why we have medical insurance and permanent employees working in university clinics,” he said about his university and some other private universities.

“Universities that do not have their own clinics have partnerships with clinics and hospitals so that, if a student faces a health issue, he or she can be sent there,” Kabera says.

Cultural barriers still a hiccup

Despite these efforts, obstacles persist. Jean Nepomuscene Ntawurushimana, a psychologist at the University Teaching Hospital of Butare, or CHUB, blames cultural and societal barriers for preventing students from gaining access to contraceptives, leading to pregnancy.

“But life should continue after one gets pregnant and education should not stop instantly. Public places like universities should provide safe places for single mothers to be able to breastfeed and take care of their babies when they deliver, while still pursuing their studies,” he says, calling on the community to stop judging young girls who use contraceptives as violators of cultural values.

“The reason why some students avoid using contraceptives is due to cultural and mindset issues. Many people believe that a girl who takes contraceptives behaves badly. In other countries, parents pack contraceptives for their children but, in our society, it is often prohibited by some parents,” he says.

“Even when seeking medical help, student mothers are sometimes asked where their husbands are, and if they mention being single, they are harassed and questioned about why they want contraceptives.”

He emphasises the need to continue educating people about sexual and reproductive health on all sides, focusing on parents, society and the students, themselves.