Raising Babies while Building Their Futures

At Covenant House New York, motherhood arrives in many ways. Sometimes through joy. Sometimes through fear and exhaustion. But for young mothers like Diarra and Fatima, it has also arrived with resilience, community, and the determination to build something better for their children even while still building stability for themselves.

Diarra is 20 years old. Her parents are from Senegal, where she spent part of her childhood before coming to the United States at age eight for what her family hoped would be greater educational opportunities. Growing up, she threw herself into school activities, sports, and extracurriculars. She loved being involved, but somewhere along the way, she realized much of what she was doing was rooted in trying to make other people proud.

“I was trying to be a good student for my parents,” she shared. “But not for myself.”

That realization created tension at home, particularly with her father, whose strict expectations often clashed with Diarra’s outgoing personality and desire for independence. When she became pregnant, fear and uncertainty pushed her to leave home. Eventually, after moving between unstable living situations and another shelter system that left her isolated and unsupported, a hospital social worker connected her to Covenant House’s Stepping Stones program for young mothers and babies.

She almost didn’t go.

But when she arrived, something shifted.

“I fell in love with the place,” she said. “Compared to where I was, it was ten times better.”

Now living at Covenant House’s mother-and-child program with her 13-month-old daughter Sheila, Diarra says the support has changed the way she sees herself and her future. Staff members listened without judgment during some of her hardest days. They encouraged her as she began thinking again about work, education, and long-term stability.

Today, she is working with Covenant House staff to search for jobs while also pursuing entry into a sonography program — a path she hopes will create a more stable future for both her and Sheila.

And then there’s the everyday support that matters just as much like childcare, so she can shower, clean, breathe, and simply have a moment to herself, diapers, food assistance, and a safe place to sleep.

“As a mom, I would say Covenant House is my village,” Diarra said.

Across the city is Fatima who was born in West Africa. The first night she arrived in New York three years ago, she spent 24 hours outside in the rain trying to communicate with shelter staff using hand gestures because she had no phone service, no translator, and no one nearby who spoke her language.

Eventually, a stranger helped her use a translator app and connect with emergency shelter services. But for a long time, survival looked like wandering the city during the day, sitting in salons, going to school, or waiting in parks until nighttime shelter beds reopened.

Then she became pregnant.

“I asked God one day to become a mom,”Fatima said softly. “So when it happened, I was happy. But at the same time, I wasn’t ready because I wasn’t stable.”

Today, Fatima lives at Covenant House’s mother-and-child shelter in the Bronx with her one-year-old son, Jacob. She describes motherhood as both beautiful and frightening.

“I was scared,” she admitted. “I still am a little bit.”

But she also describes finally feeling supported.

At Covenant House, she found childcare, diapers, baby essentials, gift cards, and staff members who stepped in during the exhausting early days of motherhood. After returning from the hospital with newborn Jacob, staff members would hold him while she cleaned bottles, did laundry, ate a meal, or simply rested for a moment.

“They made me feel that I wasn’t alone,” she said.

Now, she is focused on building stability. Fatima recently completed culinary training through a workforce development program and is actively interviewing for jobs while navigating the challenges of securing permanent housing. Along the way, she has also taught herself English with remarkable speed, learning through school, conversation, and the kindness of people willing to help correct and encourage her.

“I came here only knowing how to say, ‘Hi, my name is Fatima,’” she said, laughing.

Both young women speak openly about how hard motherhood can be, especially while still discovering who they are themselves. But both also speak with unmistakable pride when they talk about their children.

Diarra remembers crying on Sheila’s first birthday, overwhelmed by the realization that she had carried this tiny five-pound baby through an entire year of life and growth. Fatima lights up describing how Jacob laughs with other children in the park and happily plays alongside them.

And despite everything they have survived, both women continue to offer encouragement to other young mothers walking similar roads.

“Give yourself grace,” Diarra said. “You are accomplishing something every single day by taking care of your baby.”

Fatima echoed that same spirit in her own words.

“Be strong. Think positive. Be grateful,” she said. “Everything is on God’s hands.”

This Mother’s Day, Covenant House celebrates young mothers like Diarra and Fatima— women proving every day that motherhood is not defined by perfection.

Sometimes, it looks like surviving, or healing.

And sometimes, it looks like a young mother rocking her baby to sleep while quietly believing that tomorrow can still be better than today.