
Teen mothers receive reproductive health service during a Reproductive Health Uganda (RHU)
camp in Mbale city last year. PHOTO/PHOEBE MASONGOLE
In the Bugisu Sub-region, eastern Uganda, teenage pregnancy is not only a health issue but also a profound social challenge. For young mothers, the stigma surrounding their pregnancies often feels more painful than the struggles of motherhood. The young girls are frequently judged and stigmatised by their families, peers, and communities. For them, the road to rebuilding their lives is steep and fraught with societal barriers.
Khalayi, 17, was just 15 when she discovered she was pregnant. The moment she found out, she felt like her life had come to an end. “I was so scared. I knew that people in the community would talk about me and my parents would be angry. I couldn’t imagine facing them. I was just a child myself. It felt like my world came crashing down,” she said.
She added, “My mother cried when I told her. She said I had ruined my life and would never be able to finish my education. She was so disappointed in me, and that hurt more than anything.”
“My father didn’t say much, but I could tell he was ashamed of me. The community didn’t make it any easier either. They started whispering behind my back,” she said.
Namono, another victim, was 17 years old when she became pregnant. “I didn’t know what to do. I thought about running away because I couldn’t face my parents,” she said. She added, “My classmates stopped talking to me and some teachers treated me differently. It was like I didn’t deserve respect anymore. The isolation was unbearable.”
Despite the challenges, Namono is determined to raise her child and prove that her life is not over. At 16, Nambuya also discovered she was pregnant and believed terminating the pregnancy was her only way out. “I couldn’t imagine being a teenage mother. A friend gave me a concoction of chemicals, saying it would work,” she recalled. She said she drank it, but nothing happened except that she got terrible stomach pains and started vomiting. “I hated myself even more because I had tried something so dangerous. That is when I realised I had no choice, but to face what was coming,” she said.
Nambuya’s family’s reaction was harsh. “My aunt said I had brought shame to the family and my friends abandoned me. Even at school, teachers treated me like I didn’t deserve to be there anymore. The rejection was worse than anything else I had gone through,” she said. This rejection is not uncommon for teenage mothers in Bugisu, where traditional values about family and reputation hold great weight. The girls are often blamed for their pregnancies, even if they were victims of abuse or poor education on sexual health.
Recent findings obtained during a cross-sectional study conducted at Mbale Regional Referral Hospital in 2023 reported a teenage pregnancy rate of 20.6 percent among patients.
Experts Speak Out
Ms. Betty Nanyanzi, an advocate under Give a Hand Organisation, who is familiar with the challenges the girls face and has worked with several teenage mothers in Mbale, said: “The stigma around teenage mothers is enormous. It's not just about the pregnancy itself, it's the perception that they have somehow failed. The community often sees them as irresponsible or as having ruined their futures.”
Ms. Nanyanzi added that many of the girls struggle with feelings of shame and guilt, which are intensified by the reactions of their families and communities. “The judgment they face is not only emotional, but also material. They often lose the support of their families, and the community treats them as outcasts,” she said.
But the problem extends beyond personal rejection; it is institutional as well. Mr. James Kutosi, the Mbale City Communication Officer, said it is a complicated situation in the communities. “On one hand, you have local leaders who are trying to change perceptions, but on the other, there is a strong cultural resistance to embracing these young mothers. There is a need for continuous awareness and education to break the myths and stereotypes surrounding teenage pregnancy,” he said. He added, “We have launched several programmes aimed at supporting these girls, but the stigma remains. It is tough when the community continues to mistreat them, making it harder for them to regain their dignity and go back to school or work.”
Ms. Josephine Nabwire, a local councilor II in Namabasa Sub-county, said the solution lies in changing the narrative around teenage motherhood. “As a community leader, I always tell people that we should not punish these girls for making mistakes. They need our support, not judgment. What they need is understanding and access to opportunities. If we continue to stigmatise them, we are only condemning them to a life of poverty and exclusion,” she said.
Ms. Betty Byanyima, the executive director of Women with a Mission, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), said the region’s inaccessibility to birth control plays a significant role in the high rates of teenage pregnancies. “We are working to make birth control accessible in several areas, but the stigma is a major barrier. Many people need to be convinced that family planning is in their best interest,” she said. She added that they “are using peers to reach out to fellow teenagers because they find it easier to interact.” “We provide these peer educators with contraceptive products at no cost to help reduce the impact of teenage pregnancies,” she added.
Mr. Benard Wasike, the executive director of HOPEMbale, another NGO, said their aim is to reduce unplanned pregnancies and improve overall community wellbeing. “We are dedicated to providing education about family planning and reproductive health and distributing free contraceptives to rural areas. Our goal is to empower individuals, especially women and girls, to make informed choices about their futures,” he said.
Intervention
In a groundbreaking move toward addressing the challenges faced by teenage mothers, a new partnership between the Embassy of Iceland in Kampala and United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (Unicef) was recently reached. The two organisations signed a $1 million agreement aimed at empowering vulnerable adolescent mothers across Uganda. The 18-month partnership will focus on providing multi-sectoral support services to teenage mothers, including social protection, health, education, childcare, and skilling services.
Ms. Hildigunnur Engilbertsdóttir, Iceland’s Ambassador to Uganda, expressed her country’s commitment to improving the lives of young mothers. “Iceland is committed to empowering young mothers to enable them to learn, acquire skills, and be protected from harmful practices. This conditional cash transfer is linked to the adolescent mother’s participation in learning and their child’s involvement in early childhood development (ECD) interventions, including ECD centres and early learning for children aged three to five years,” she said.
Mr. Engilbertsdóttir added: “We strongly believe that these cash transfers will alleviate a young mother’s burden by supporting access to childcare services, so she can return to school or seek employment.”
Dr. Robin Nandy, Unicef’s representative to Uganda, said the agreement signifies the shared commitment of Unicef and the Icelandic government to prioritise the needs of children. “With Iceland’s generous support, we will be able to scale up our efforts to address critical challenges and create lasting change for adolescent mothers and their children. Every child deserves a fair chance at a brighter future, and today’s partnership brings us closer to achieving that goal,” Dr. Nandy said.
The funding provided through this grant will prioritise support for vulnerable adolescent mothers (aged 12 to 19 years) and their children (aged 0 to five years) in Kyegegwa and Kikuube districts, in the western region of Uganda. The initiative will also benefit 1,000 adolescent mothers by helping them return to school or acquire vocational skills, while 2,000 of their children will receive early childhood care and education services. Additionally, 1,200 adolescent mothers will be trained in parenting skills, and 7,000 children will be screened for disabilities and developmental delays.
Since 2019, the Embassy of Iceland in Kampala and Unicef have enjoyed a fruitful partnership aimed at improving access to water and sanitation in schools and health facilities in refugee-hosting districts of Uganda. The new agreement marks a crucial step in improving the lives of vulnerable adolescent mothers and their children.
Teenage pregnancy calls for collective responsibility in overcoming it. It is an issue of parents, teachers, civil society organisations, government, and other stakeholders. It is a societal issue which should be denounced by all well-meaning citizens.
Prevalence of teenage pregnancy in Uganda
National statistics on teenage pregnancy in Uganda indicate that approximately 25 percent of Ugandan women give birth by the age of 18. Recent findings during a cross-sectional study conducted at Mbale Regional Referral Hospital in 2023 reported a teenage pregnancy rate of 20.6 percent among patients. Additionally, between January and September 2022, Mbale District recorded approximately 6,000 cases of teenage pregnancies, a substantial increase from 400 cases in 2020.