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Roselene Fidel
My name is Roselene Fidel. I am 25 years old and have a little 2-year-old baby boy. I was in the Health program; Education is Conversation, in Thomassique. Mrs. Charles, my monitor, talked in church about the program and invited me to come. I got involved because she is a very intelligent woman and she knows what she is talking about.
I really liked the health program because it made me think. You know, before I got pregnant with my baby, I never once talked to my boyfriend about not getting pregnant or about diseases. I am lucky that I didn’t get a disease. There are sexually transmitted diseases in Thomassique. I am also lucky that I didn’t have any complications in my pregnancy. I would have not known what to do. Now, after reading about dangerous signs of a complicated pregnancy, I can help other pregnant young women. I also tell them to wait until their baby is two years old before they have another. I know people who have so many kids, and they have them really close together.
In my group we had women of different ages. It was interesting to hear stories from the other participants, about their husbands or their kids. It made me want to find a good boyfriend so that I can start a home. I especially will want to have good communication skills and will want to protect myself from too many pregnancies. I know now that I have to think about my life and make plans.
I always tell my friends about the program. I tell them that I would have liked to see this program before I got pregnant. I would not have had this baby. I love him, but I am alone because my boyfriend left when he found out I was pregnant, and it’s difficult to raise a baby alone.
My father told me, when I was young, not to fall in love with men because they will lie to you and because the only good thing you will get is a baby. I didn’t even know what he meant, but now I do. I wish he had told me to use condoms and to think about not getting pregnant. I will tell my baby everything, when he gets old enough to understand. The program teaches that if you give your kids the right information, they will be able to make good choices. That is a very important lesson.