The prolonged closure of schools is bringing many districts to their knees. In Buikwe, the district is grappling with a surge in teenage mothers – with authorities stuck on how to manage the situation. The numbers continue increasing each day, leaving leaders worried about the district’s future.
The early pregnancies are mostly reported in Najja sub county, Kiyindi town council and Buikwe town council. At Makonge Medical Center at Kiyindi landing site, over 70 girls between the age of 10 to 17 were found seeking antenatal help.
The village health teams and local area leaders fault parents who have remained silent on issues concerning sex among adolescents. that they would do alot but to fight the vice by sensitizing the parents and the children against early pregnancies, but they are under motivated by the government.
“We were forgotten by the government not even a single coin to facilitate our work yet we do a lot” Said one of the VHT.
Alyebo Merabu the in charge at makonge community health center Kiyindi revealed they received 60 teenagers seeking antenatal care in the last quarter while Olivia Kato the in charge Buikwe health center III noted that they receive 10 – 14 underage girls seeking for antennal care per week.
“The number of young girls raised ever since the government went into lockdown at Buikwe health Center (3) and Most of them get complications during pregnancy and delivery” Said Olivia.
Most of these young girls come from poor families and can’t afford basic items. In many cases, their male lovers leave the relationship when the girls conceive.
It is for this reason that the area woman MP also State Minister in the Office of the Vice President Diana Mutasingwa donated Mama kits to the teenage mothers and hospital beds to the health facilities among other necessities.
She appealed to parents and leaders in their respective capacities to play their role to end the vice.
Mutasingwa also promised to lobby for these child mothers projects like tailoring and bakery so as to empower them economically.
