KAMULI | TEENAGE PREGNANCIES | COVID-19 

Over the years, the Busoga region has been grappling with teenage pregnancies and early marriages. The COVID-19 lockdown worsened matters.

By the time schools resumed in January this year, many girls were either breastfeeding, pregnant, or mothers, some with more than one child.

Henry Woira, a cultural leader for Bugabula BB in the Busoga kingdom government, attributes the surge to parental negligence, among other factors.

He says, many parents produce children they cannot look after. They end up dropping out of school. Others marry them off to get the bride's wealth.

In his remarks during the Uphold the Girl Child Foundation’s (UGCF) key stakeholders’ dialogue that happened at the Pentagon hotel in Kamuli town on Tuesday, Woira implored parents to step up and rethink the way they are raising their children.

The dialogue followed the project dubbed; Improving adolescent reproductive health services, HIV/AIDS prevention, care, and management in Kamuli district." 

The Global Fund, through The Aids Support Organization (TASO), funded the project.

John Muyeyero, the acting executive director of UGCF, said they reached 1,625 adolescents; 944 were in school and 681 were not. They were between 10-24 years old in the Busota ward, southern division of Kamuli municipality.

Some Of The Parents And Children Who Attended

They also worked with Multi Community Based Development Initiatives (MUCOBADI).

They carried out mobile clinics, community and stakeholder dialogues, HIV self-testing, outreaches, and community radio talk shows.

They also had talks with influential stakeholders about negative cultural beliefs and practices such as early marriages.

Other meetings were with health workers, VHTs, senior men and women in schools, and religious and local leaders.

Prossy Muyeyero, UGCF founder added that some girls elope with men to run away from rude parents who batter or abuse them all the time. 

“Many girls open up to us about why they get married." "Notable of the reasons are parents’ ill-treatment,” she said.

“Being poor doesn’t mean you should displace anger on your children. Love and care for them if you want to get the best out of them,” she cautioned.

Muyeyero adds that parents have also abandoned their responsibility of protecting their children and educating them about sex. Others are raped and defiled, but parents fear reporting the culprits. Some are silenced with bribes or simply ask for dowry and marry off the girls.

Leo Mmerewoma, the district community development officer, thanked UGCF for transforming the lives of parents and their children.

He however advised that projects in line with behavioral change should be protracted because changing behaviors is a process that starts with denial and later, acceptance.

He requested parents and other stakeholders to embrace the parenting manual that was drafted by the government. 

Statistics

According to the Ministry of Health, 25% of Ugandan teenagers become pregnant by the age of 19. Close to, half are married before their 18th birthday and continue having babies into their mid-40s.