TEENAGE | PREGNANCIES | UPMB

BUSOGA - The Uganda Protestant Medical Bureau (UPMB) has joined efforts with Cultural leaders in Busoga to combat high rates of teenage pregnancies in the region. (Photo by Violet Nabatamzi)

According to a recent survey conducted in the region, over 4,000 teenagers got pregnant and out of that, at least 1,000 teenagers were from Iganga district.

UPMB Advocacy Project Advisor James Mwesigwa said they involved the cultural leader of Obwa Ngobi Bwa Kigulu and trained religious leaders on strategies to prevent teenage pregnancies and early marriages.

“We have seen more teenage pregnancies even when they preach against it. So we have engaged the cultural leaders to fight the rampant teenage pregnancies,’’ he said.

A study on Linkages between Teenage Pregnancy and School Dropout conducted by the Ministry of Education and Sports in 2015 established that school dropout due to pregnancy among girls 14 to 18 years of age was 22.3 %.

UPMB is a national umbrella organization for Protestant, Adventist and Pentecostal founded member health facilities.

Dr Patrick Kitimbo, the District Health Officer (DHO) Iganga said teenage pregnancy stands at 24%.

Kitimbo said they are sensitizing communities on the dangers of teenage pregnancies and emphasising abstinence.

Kitimbo encouraged parents to take girls to school so that they can get to know the dangers of teenage pregnancy.

Iganga District Development Plan (2015-2020) revealed that the high fertility rate stood at 6.9 babies per woman, which is above the national average of 6.2.

A 2017 survey on Violence against Children conducted by the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social development established that sexual violence among girls is still high at 35% and nearly half of these girls experienced sexual violence before the age of 16 years.

The district has about 125,000 women of reproductive age while infant mortality and teenage pregnancy at a high 217 per 100,000 and 27% respectively.

His Royal Highness Patrick Zimba Gologolo said some of the young mothers aged 23 are already grandmothers.

Some of the issues the cultural leaders presented to district council include, delaying cultural marriages to an age which is in line with the Constitution, introducing Family Planning to teenagers who are already victims of teenage pregnancies so that they don’t have other multiple pregnancies, introduce some formal health education in terms of fertility awareness to an age an appropriate within the schools.