KAMPALA – Wambwire Racheal 19 is a young mother after conceiving during Covid-19 lockdown at only 17. Wabwire, a resident of Namuwongo, Kampala who was in senior three opted to run away from home because she couldn’t stand her family’s pressure and yet child’s father wasn’t supportive.
“My mother was so disappointed,” she said, noting that her mother would, however, call her back home.
When schools reopened, Wabwire never resumed because she was still pregnant but she would, however, in 2023 enroll in an adult school.
“I study and as well take care of my child. I just completed my O’level and I’m joining A’level,” she told PML Daily during the UNFPA Uganda Early and Unintended Pregnancy HackLab on Wednesday.
Wabwire who eyes to becoming a nurse commended such gatherings saying that they “empower us on what and not to do.”
She says had she known about contraceptives “I wouldn’t have gotten pregnant.”
She also urged parents to have parental conversations with their children.
In a move to aid Ugandan girl child from facing challenges of the likes of Wabwire, United Nations Population Fund – UNFPA Uganda with funding from Sweden, announced an Early and Unintended Pregnancy HackLab to source innovative solutions to accelerate collective efforts to end early and unintended pregnancy in districts of Abim, Amuria, Kaboong, Kaberamaido, Kiryandongo, Kotido, Napak, Nakapiripirit, Pader, Yumbe, Moroto, Gulu, Bundibugyo, Kamuli, Mayuge and Kampala.
The goal of this HackLab is to create a world where communities, including women and girls are supported and lead the campaign against early and unintended pregnancy.
Four teams of youth innovators from Kampala, Gulu and Mbale were selected to receive grant funding to scale their solutions addressing teenage pregnancy in their areas and other implementation districts.
Through this dialogue, UNFPA launched the YouthInnovation Exchange Hub – a series of an interactive platform for young people to explore issues affecting them in line with gender, SGBV, FGM and SRHR generally whilst improvising solutions for social change.
During the dialogue, the 4 youth innovators showcased their solutions and illustrated relevance in ending teenage pregnancy in Uganda. The 4 teams are Ndaba Innovation Hub, Bulamu Bridge AI, Her Worth Foundation and Diversity Innovations Initiative.
Mr. Daniel Alemu – UNFPA Uganda – Deputy Country Representative said that HackLab was launched in 2023 to tackle the challenge of Teenage pregnancy, as part of the UN Joint Programme on Gender-based Violence (GBV).
“We have partnered with OutBox Uganda. I wish to congratulate and commend the four (4) winners who are implementing solutions to accelerate collective efforts towards addressing specific challenges that our girl children are going through.”
According to him, prior to the pandemic, one in four girls between the ages of 10 and 19 got pregnant in Uganda.
“This already high number increased rapidly during the pandemic, with an average of 1,052 girls getting pregnant every day! Additionally, according to the 2022 Uganda Demographic and Health Survey (UDHS 2022), the teenage pregnancy rate is 24% which places Uganda among the countries with high teenage pregnancy.”
He noted that teenage pregnancy can be equated to an act of violence because the cost of the teen birth process and the medical risks during pregnancy for both the child-mother and child is huge.
“…for instance, infants born to teenage mothers accounts for 35 deaths per 1,000 live births, compared to the 25 per 1.000 born to mothers aged 20-29 years.”
“In addition adolescent girls have some of the highest maternal mortality rates in Uganda because their bodies are not developed enough to carry a pregnancy to term, and as a result, 28% of maternal deaths occur among young girls 15 to 25 years of age,” he noted.
Alemu stressed that teenage mothers are more likely than non-teenage mothers to attain only primary level education, and six times less likely to complete secondary education.
“Keeping girls in schools reduces teenage pregnancies. Teenage pregnancy is responsible for nearly one fifth (18%) of annual births. In Uganda, nearly half (46%) of the births by teenagers are unwanted pregnancies.”
He warned that, “If no action is taken to reduce teenage pregnancy in Uganda, then 50% of teenage girls are at risk each year. Furthermore, HIV is increasing among adolescent girls and young women, and we need to put our efforts together to reverse this trend with long term effect on the girl-child and country at large.”
He revealed that the UNFPA Strategic Plan 2022-2025 identified innovations as a key accelerator to meet tomorrow’s challenges and boost its impact, especially in addressing the needs of the population left furthest behind.
“It is with such Hack Lab YouthInnovation Exchange events that we reimagine the delivery of our programmes and spearhead innovative solutions to accelerate progress for women and girls, by disrupting inequalities and removing the barriers between women and girls and their rights and choices.”
Tomas Lundströmn – Counsellor Health at the Embassy of Sweden in Uganda challenged all the stakeholders to speak up for young girls because “they are dying today or suffering and have a really hard time.”
“But unless we start about comprehensive sexual education, we’re not going to get there,” he warned, adding that, “we have to start tackling the real issues because young girls are dying.”
