At Age 15, Asanansi
Namajja has become a mother! She conceived in school by an unidentified man. Our
clinic took her up until she has given birth today. Her mama is a widow and
sick.
At our facility, 2 of 5 pregnant women who report for antenatal are teenagers. Kibuku is one of the districts struggling with
high numbers of teenage pregnancy.
According to the Uganda Demographic Health Service 2016, 22 % of girls aged 15-19 in eastern Uganda have had a live birth already, while 7.5 % of teenagers are pregnant with their first child.
The major challenge of many teenage girls in this community is lack of access to basic needs such as sanitary pads which exposes them to men who offer to provide for them and end up impregnating them.
GWI is working with community leaders and schools to equip adolescent girls with basic skills on how to make low cost reusable sanitary pads combined with interactive reproductive education.
Giving birth at an early age makes teenage mothers more susceptible to health complications such as over bleeding while giving birth, high chances of infant and maternal mortality.