Africa-Press – Uganda. Non-governmental organisations operating in eastern region have launched a campaign to involve and also empower boys and men in order to end rampant teenage pregnancies.
The campaign is being spearheaded by Bukedi Action for Integrated Development Initiatives-International (BAfIDI) in partnership with East African Child Helpline Network that works to end teenage pregnancy and gender-based violence.
This comes after Daily Monitor published a story in which it revealed that more than 5,200 girls between 10 and 19 years had been impregnated and dropped out of school in Butaleja District in two years.
The findings, which further revealed that of the 5,265 impregnated girls, only 3,596 attended antenatal care, were contained in the survey conducted by Butaleja District Health office.
Speaking at the launch of the campaign dubbed: Male involvement in fighting teenage pregnancies, in Kibuku Town Council last Sunday, the director of BAFiDI, Mr Abel Walekhwa Wilson, said the campaign aims at ending teenage pregnancies and poverty.
The findings from BAFiDI indicate that Butaleja District has a teenage pregnancy prevalence of 37 per cent while Kibuku stands at 36 per cent, figures higher than the national average of 25 per cent.
“Empowering one male youth saves an average of 20 girls from teenage pregnancies…” he said.
Mr Patrick Mwesigye, the Director of Uganda Youth and Adolescents Health Forum, said: “Engaging men as community champions can change their attitudes of sexual and gender-based violence.”
