Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg paid a visit to support young mothers earlier this week when she stopped by the Norbert Ensch Reception Centre in Contern. She visited the Zoé and Yua groups, which were created to give housing and other vital services for young parents and their children.
The reception centre is a service implemented by the Luxembourg Red Cross, of which the Grand Duchess has served as President since 2005.
During her visit, the Grand Duchess got down on the floor to interact with babies in the group, smiling and playing with the little ones. She also spoke to many of the young women at the centre to hear their stories about motherhood and how they’ve coped with taking care of children at a young age.
“The Grand Duchess favours these moments of discussion with young girls in care and was thus able to discuss with them their difficult journeys,” Grand Ducal Court said in a press release. “Strong and moving testimonies, which cannot leave room for indifference.”
The Zoé group provides a residence for young mothers and pregnant women between 13 and 17 years old and their children, whilst the Yua group supports those between 18 and 27, including young pregnant women and single mothers and fathers who are parents of a child under three.
In addition to giving young people a safe place to live outside of family conflicts, both groups give them the tools to succeed. Mothers are able to give birth in the best possible conditions, and once the baby arrives, they benefit from courses on first aid, nutrition, and other topics; activities to support child development; socialisation with other young parents and babies; and support to continue their education or obtain a job so they can live independently with their children.
The Grand Ducal Court also announced an additional project will be launched by the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess Foundation in collaboration with the teams at the Reception Centre for the benefit of the Zoé and Yua groups.
