When people talk about teen pregnancy, the focus is always on the girl who has gotten pregnant.

Often boys and men who make the girls pregnant are left out of these conversations.

This is not the same in Butaleja district where boys have been brought on board to ensure they are educated on issues such as menstruation, teenage pregnancy among others.

The initiative is being run in schools and the community where boys are educated through drama, plays and community engagements. 

At Butaleje Primary School where Tony Kalule is a pupil, the boys and girls are being taught about menstruation, making sanitary pads, and not engaging in early sex.

“As boys we used to sit separately in class, but now we are helping girls make reusable sanitary pads and they teach us about the dangers of engaging in early sex,” Kalule says.

He explains the boys and girls are being cautioned about irresponsible sexual behaviors and are asked to delay sex which in the end help reduce on teenage pregnancy.

The school has introduced drama and sports where they act plays about the dangers of teenage pregnancy. The same plays are presented in the communities in Butaleja.

Hadija Mulembe, a community facilitator, says the COVID-19 led to an increase in the cases of teenage pregnancy but has opened the eyes to increase sexuality education among the young men and women.

“We now know the importance of involving boys, if the boys had been involved much earlier we wouldn’t be having all these issues of teenage pregnancy,” Mulembe says.

According to the Ministry of Health, in Uganda the teenage pregnancy rate of 25% is worrying with many girls dropping out of school and others losing their lives while giving birth.

During the COVID-19 pandemic induced lockdowns that led to school closures many girls in Uganda got pregnant and dropped out of school.

In Butaleja more than 5,200 girls aged 13-19 had been impregnated and dropped out of school in two years according to a survey conducted by Butaleja District Health office.

The findings, which further revealed that of the 5,265 impregnated girls, only 3,596 attended antenatal care.

Richard Waya, the Butaleja district chairperson, said most times boys and men who make the girls pregnant are let off the hook and not punished leaving the girls to suffer.

Young mothers in Uganda risk poor maternal and child health, being isolated, attempting unsafe abortions, failure to continue with school, and poverty. 

“Arresting and punishing the male who makes the girls pregnant would help reduce the teenage pregnancy rate. Men make these girls pregnant knowing the consequences are not severe,” Waya says.

He revealed that the high teenage pregnancy rate can be reduced if boys are brought on board.

“Our schools and communities need to involve boys in teenage pregnancy issues. If you are talking about family planning talk to the boys too, if you are talking about the dangers of teenage pregnancy talk to the boys and show them the consequences,” Waya says.

In the meantime Non-governmental organisations operating in eastern region have launched a campaign to involve and also empower boys and men in order to end rampant teenage pregnancies.

The campaign is being spearheaded by Bukedi Action for Integrated Development Initiatives-International (BAfIDI) in partnership with East African Child Helpline Network that works to end teenage pregnancy and gender-based violence.

The director of BAFiDI, Abel Walekhwa, says they are working with the district and schools to fight teenage pregnancy by involving boys.

The findings from BAFiDI indicate that Butaleja District has a teenage pregnancy prevalence of 37 % while Kibuku stands at 36% figures higher than the national average of 25%.

“Empowering one male youth saves an average of 20 girls from teenage pregnancies,” Walekhwa says.

Henry Mukisa, the Director Together Against Teenage Pregnancy (TATP) Health Forum, says the long-neglected piece in the teen pregnancy puzzle, boys and men are increasingly recognized as a key part of prevention efforts. 

“It takes two to create a pregnancy. Boys and men should be held responsible for their sexual behaviour. Just because they cannot get pregnant does not mean they should be irresponsible,” Mukisa says.

He says adolescent males need to be helped to make responsible decisions about their sexual behavior and avoid early fatherhood.

What is being done

The Government and partners have embarked on programmes focusing on increasing male involvement in reducing teenage pregnancy.

He says men know about their own condom use, but generally are less aware about which birth control methods their female partner is using, especially if they cannot physically see the method.

“We have started giving young men information on female contraceptives and how they work. We normally have community barazas and providers that can dispel young men’s uncertainty and allow for accurate reporting in evaluation assessments,” Mukisa says.

Peace Kirabo, an instructor at Iganga Teachers Training School, says they have started training teachers and student teachers on how to counsel and empower the child to abstain and firmly say no to early sex.

“We are empowering teachers to boldly come out to tell children the real things about sexuality and not be shy about them.” Mukisa says.

Research also suggests that many young men think that avoiding pregnancy is a woman’s responsibility.

Hillary Maleku, a bodaboda rider and resident of Butaleja, notes that in schools are lacking sexual education meaning puberty is often misunderstood by girls and boys.

“When I was in school, we never had a chance to be told the right information about sex. By the time I left school the information I had was from friends, who sometimes told me that if you have sex while standing the girl will never get pregnant. Which is not true,” Maleku says.

Now working as boda boda, Maleku says boys need to be given the right information.

This publication was produced with the financial support of the European Union. Its contents do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.