Safe Path Mothers Foundation has donated more than 50 delivery kits to pregnant teenage mothers in Masindi District as part of efforts to support vulnerable girls and promote maternal health.
The kits were distributed during a community outreach held on Sunday at Labongo Town in Kabango Town Council, where several teenage mothers also received sanitary pads following the engagement that coincided with activities to mark International Women’s Day.
During the event, stakeholders highlighted parental care gaps as one of the key factors contributing to teenage pregnancies and school dropouts among girls in the district.
Sherifa Nalongo Nabule, the Executive Director of Safe Path Mothers Foundation, said that while the organisation works to discourage teenage pregnancies, it also encourages parents and communities not to abandon girls who become pregnant.
“After giving birth, girls still have the opportunity to return to school and excel like any other students. It does not mean their future is automatically ruined,” Nabule said.
She noted that the organisation has received reports indicating that Kabango is among the urban centres experiencing high rates of teenage pregnancy, school dropouts and HIV infections.
Community leaders and residents attributed the problem to poverty and excessive freedom given to young girls, which they say exposes them to risky behaviour such as visiting bars and nightclubs and moving around at night.
Beatrice, the Woman Councillor of Kabango Town Council in Masindi District, said many parents in the area struggle to provide basic needs for their daughters due to financial constraints.
“Nearly 70 percent of parents here cannot meet the basic needs of their daughters because of poverty,” she said, adding that the situation sometimes pushes girls to seek support elsewhere.
She explained that when girls lack essential items such as clothes or body jelly and their parents cannot afford them, some men take advantage of the situation by pretending to help.
“You cannot put a hen and a cock together without expecting the result. Some men take advantage of such situations to have sex with young girls,” she added, warning that excessive freedom given to girls exposes them to exploitation.
Alima, a teacher at Kabango Primary School, urged parents and guardians to avoid negligence, noting that some of the needs that push girls into risky relationships are affordable.
“How can a parent fail to buy basic smearing oil like jelly, which costs as little as Shs500?” she asked.
Richard Oyomtho, the Mayor-elect of Kabango Town Council, encouraged girls to prioritise education and avoid engaging in sexual relationships at an early age.
“No one should deceive you. Teenage pregnancy brings suffering to girls. We see you as leaders of tomorrow, and you have the potential as long as you do not put your future at risk because of present-day demands,” he said.
He noted that women currently occupy top leadership positions in Uganda, including the Speaker of Parliament and the Prime Minister, demonstrating that girls have the potential to achieve great success.
At the end of the engagement, teenage girls were given sanitary pads while pregnant mothers received delivery kits from Safe Path Mothers Foundation.
Voluntary HIV testing and counselling services were also offered by the organisation’s partner, The AIDS Support Organisation (TASO) Masindi, with at least 70 people accessing the services during the outreach.