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Her face and arms are pale from the raging sunshine. Her feet bear an awkward pattern of pale and moist dark. 

With her baby, she tackles children’s rights, topic by topic as adolescent girls take in word by word.

At the sight of visitors, Ann Mary's face melts into a smile, she and other adolescents at Block E Cluster 29 Pagirinya Refugee Settlement in Adjumani district halt their conversation to interact with the visitors.

Mary (Not real name), together with her parents and two sisters ran away from their home in South Sudan to the bush, where they spent a week due to a war between the government and rebels before they found their way to Uganda for refuge.

When the family arrived in Uganda in 2016, they were settled in Pagirinya refugee settlement.

Adjumani district in the West Nile region hosts the highest number of refugee settlements (18) in Uganda, accommodating around 203,671 refugees mainly from neighboring South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo. 

The refugees here compose about 55% of the entire population of the district.

Uganda is one of the largest refugee-hosting nations in the world with over 1,529,904 refugees.

Mary 19, who was in primary three then, was admitted to Rail Valley Primary School a private school, however, due to lack of school fees left the school and was admitted to Pagirinya One Primary School.

“When school closed in early 2022 due to COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns, I got pregnant while in primary six and gave birth to a baby boy,” she narrated.

“I wanted to go back to school after giving birth but my parents who are not employed stopped me claiming I had wasted all my chances when I got pregnant,” she further narrated.

Francis Dipio, a senior Probation Officer in charge of child protection in Adjumani District. (All Photos by Lawrence Mulondo)

Mary explained that her dream was to study and become a medical officer to offer help to girls in need back in South Sudan.

She said as a young mother, raising her child in a settlement is very challenging due to limited resources especially when it comes to getting a balanced diet for the baby.

“When a child is sick or so hungry, as a young mother you may not be able to afford the medication or food leaving you with no option but to cry which also cannot help,” she said.

It is against this background that Mary has taken it upon herself to sensitise adolescent girls about the dangers of engaging in unsafe sexual relationships and how the vice can shut down their future.

Mary is one of the girls who have benefited in different ways under the Adolescent Girls in Crisis project implemented by Plan International in Pagirinya Refugee Settlement with support from Australian Aid.

Mary who often works with community leaders, cultural leaders, and religious leaders moves door to door interacting with girls and at times seeks opportunities at events to sensitise girls and boys.

“I encourage those that still have a chance to school to use it well in order to help us who dropped out so that one day we can also get a good future,” she said.

She also said she talks to adolescents about how to manage stress to avoid violence and promote peaceful coexistence between refugees and hosts.

She further said not all people she talks to take her advice which is considered a challenge saying it is a result of their mindset or what they believe.

The young mother however said is willing to go back to school and pursue her dream of becoming a medical officer if a chance presents itself in order to avail a bright future for her baby and other children in her community.

Francis Dipio, a senior Probation Officer in charge of child protection at Adjumani District Local Government said the children in the district continue to face the effects of the covid-19 pandemic.

Dipio said the district continues to register more cases of teenage pregnancies in all the nine sub-counties and two town councils of the district.

“In a month, we register about two to three cases of teenage pregnancies, however, there are many cases that are not reported to the authorities,” she explained.

She further noted that the district is also recording high cases of theft by refugee children; with many stealing to be able to find what to eat following food ration cuts by the World Food Program.

“We record about eight cases of theft committed by juveniles every month. These end up in courts of law and many are remanded because they are found guilty,” she said.

“Many parents who are mostly single mothers have forgotten about their mandate especially providing basic needs like sanitary pads to girls while others have abandoned the children in the settlement, putting the girls at risk of pregnancies and infections.”

Since July 1, this year, the United Nations (UN) switched to targeted assistance for refugees in Uganda due to financial constraints.

roscovia Akello, the Adolescent Girls in Crisis project manager remarks.

This means, that households considered most vulnerable were grouped under category one and will be receiving 60% of the monthly food ration, while those considered to be in a moderate situation were grouped under category two and will be receiving 30% of the monthly food assistance.

The rest of the refugees that were grouped as category three will no longer be receiving any food aid.

The World Food Program in Uganda needs at least USD 64m to support the refugees until the end of the year.

The UN however says they have received only 27% of the funds needed for the refugees in Uganda

Dipio added that a number of pupils that go through primary level do not join secondary due to lack of necessities like school requirements.

She said to survive many children are choosing child labor in stone and sand mining sites over schooling, where she said they are exploited by those who sell stones and sand too.

The probation officer added that in some homes, cases of Gender Based Violence are registered especially those where parents get into conflict, ending up harming the children.

Dipio pointed out that the project is making strides in solving these cases, as it gives adolescents a chance to be part of finding solutions to their challenges.

“The project involves having adolescents who have gone through challenges talk to fellows about the outcomes of different actions. We have realised positive outcomes as adolescents listen and believe their peers more,” she stated.

Proscovia Akello, the Adolescent Girls in Crisis project manager said the project is a three-year project that is being implemented in Pagrinya and Boroli refugee settlements in Adjumani district.

She explained that here, they work with adolescent girls, boys and young mothers from both the refugee settlement and host communities, whom she said are identified with the help of local leaders.

Akello said they chose to implement the project in Adjumani district because it is the biggest refugee-hosting district, with a lot of protection and health-related concerns affecting adolescents and young mothers.

“The project is implemented under three components including child protection, Skilling of young mothers, and adolescent sexual reproductive health,” Akello noted.

She said under child protection, they are looking at reducing cases of child marriage in the settlement and host communities.

She said under skilling, they are looking at giving young mothers a better choice of work to enable them to match up with their current competence and stop them from struggling to get finances for a better life.

“We have young mothers that have already set up businesses after receiving training in soap making. There are those that are already advocating for girls’ rights in communities and skilling their peers, creating an impact in their societies,” she pointed out.

Akello added that they also have running savings groups in communities where members save and borrow money to further develop themselves.

What other girls say

Freda Opia, 17, Block E Cluster 25 Pagirinya refugee settlement

In 2018, I started receiving sanitary materials like pads towels, and buckets which saved me from engaging in different acts out of despondency to get them.

Sarah Limio, S.1 Student Member of Pagirinya host community

The skills I am attaining from the program will help me set up a business to get money to supplement what my parents get in order to afford my school fees up to the university.