By Pride Ashaba Mpairwe
Africa-Press – Uganda. This International Youth Day, I write from the heart—not only as an expert, but as a Ugandan, a parent, a sibling, a neighbor, and someone deeply concerned about our country’s future.
Uganda is a young nation, with nearly 70% of its population under 30 years old. To harness this demographic dividend, we must empower our youth, reduce dependency, and enable them to become productive contributors to national development. But to do so, we must urgently confront the teenage pregnancy crisis.
I recently engaged with cultural, political, and religious leaders in Ntoroko and Bundibugyo districts, where teenage pregnancy rates soar as high as 70% in some sub-counties.
This means seven out of every ten teenage girls are pregnant—girls facing life-threatening risks such as obstructed labor, obstetric fistula, and even death. These heartbreaking realities demand change.
The root causes are complex but clear: cultural norms that encourage early marriage, and pervasive poverty. In places like Lira, parents have reportedly taken girls—some still in school—to markets such as Aswa and Wanglobo to be exchanged for cows or goats as bride price. It is shocking, but it is also preventable.
Government ministries—Health, Gender, Education—and partners have made commendable strides with behavior change programs aimed at addressing harmful gender and social norms, myths, and misinformation that fuel this crisis. Yet, much more remains to be done.
Previously, I wrote about the vital role parents play in guiding and protecting their children. That message stands firm. Organizations like Pathfinder International are doing remarkable work engaging parents, boys, and girls in communities to promote supportive behaviors, challenge harmful norms, and build girls’ agency to make informed reproductive health choices.
However, we cannot rely on the health sector alone. Securing Uganda’s future requires the private sector, philanthropists, faith leaders, creatives, academia, and communities—all hands on deck—to support young people in realizing their potential and aspirations.
We have spoken of multisectoral collaboration for years, but when will we truly walk the talk?
Teenage pregnancy and early child marriage are not new challenges. What we need now is collective listening—and collective action. By multisectoral, I mean every sector, every voice, every hand. Manufacturers, bankers, telecom companies, philanthropists—this is not just a health issue; it is a national crisis.
Remember how, during the COVID-19 pandemic, every leader included prevention messages in their speeches and meetings? We can adapt this model of collaboration to address teenage pregnancy and create environments where youth thrive.
Imagine if every girl and boy could complete school. Imagine no child was forced into marriage. Imagine every health center offered adolescent-friendly services. Uganda’s future would look very different—and we have the power to make this a reality.
Colleagues, the future is in our hands. The quality of Uganda’s population tomorrow depends on the choices we make today. Teenage pregnancy and early child marriage affect us all. Everyone has a role to play because the generation we nurture today will care for us tomorrow.
Bankers and telecoms, are your CSR funds invested in the customers and leaders of tomorrow? Manufacturers, how are you helping boys and girls stay in school? Philanthropists, how are you investing in this country’s future?
We must ensure Uganda’s youth are schooled, skilled, and healthy if we are to meet the Sustainable Development Goals and build a better tomorrow.
Recently, the UK Government awarded three components of the new EMPOWER programme to a consortium of NGOs led by Pathfinder International, focused on improving maternal health outcomes in Uganda. This includes tackling harmful social norms, reducing teenage pregnancy, and combating gender-based violence.
But as donor funding shrinks, more action is urgently needed.
We need you. We need everyone. Let’s build partnerships and collaborate across sectors to bring meaningful, lasting change.
As we celebrate International Youth Day, take a moment to reflect, decide, and join the movement.
Pride Ashaba Mpairwe is a senior technical advisor-SBC | UK Government EMPOWER Programme
Source: Nilepost News
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