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Teenage mothers warn peers of bitter fruits of sweet love
A teenage mother consults a nurse about the health of her baby. Photo | Karim Muyobo
What you need to know:
- Dr John Batandi, senior nursing officer, noted that Buyende District has a 24 per cent teenage pregnancy rate, above the national acceptable number of less than 15 per cent.
Early this year, Christine (not her real name), aged 17, was staying with her brother in Kampala when she was impregnated by a bread seller.
Christine says that later, the boyfriend asked her to abort but she refused, which prompted him to disappear.
Christine* kept her pregnancy while helping her brother supply chapatti to his clients in Kisenyi Park, Arua Park, and Namirembe Road, during it's early days.
"Later, I had to run back to the village in Buyende because I didn't want my brother to discover. Right now, I am staying with my mother, but after giving birth, I want to go back to school because I learnt my lesson," she says.
Christine narrates that she was being paid Shs10,000 per day while working in Kampala and was saving the money to be able to pay her fees but the pregnancy has delayed her return to school.
Hilda*, aged 17, is also a teen mother who gave birth last year after being impregnated by a man she identified as a teacher who lied to her that she could not get pregnant. She was in Senior One at a school in Jinja.
"My body had started experiencing changes. I was staying with my aunt and walking to school every day. The school was about six kilometers away from home. One day, while I was walking to school, I met this man who said he was a teacher and lied to me. He used to give money for a boda boda to school," she says.
"My baby is now six months old, and after one year, I want to go back to school and continue with my studies because I am still young. I learnt a lesson; my mother was disappointed in me and promised never to pay my fees again," she adds.
Rose*, 18, dropped out of school after discovering she was pregnant. All three are now peer educators in Buyende District, warning young teens about the dangers of early pregnancy.
According to UNFPA, Uganda has one of the youngest populations in the world, with 75 per cent aged below 30 years, facing challenges like teenage pregnancy.
A total of 354,736 teenage pregnancies were registered in 2020, and 196,499 in the first six months of 2021. The World Health Organisation, says babies born to mothers below 20 years face higher risks of birth weight, preterm delivery and severe neonatal conditions.
Dr John Batandi, senior nursing officer, noted that Buyende District has a 24 per cent teenage pregnancy rate, above the national acceptable number of less than 15 per cent.
“Bugulumbya sub-county used to have the highest teenage pregnancy rate in the entire district at 28 per cent and now it’s at 23 per cent. Butansi now is at 23 per cent, Kagumba standing at 27 percent teenage pregnancy rate. The district is at 24 percent in terms of teenage pregnancies,” Dr Batandi said.
Through the INTPA project, the district has procured essential supplies for mothers and registered a reduction in teenage pregnancy, keeping girls in school.
"We've created sensitisation in the community and taught our teens about menstrual hygiene, among other things," Dr Batandi said.
