Combat Child, Early & Forced Marriages in Uganda

Summary

Adolescent girls face numerous challenges that hider them to achieve their education goals. They live under hard conditions that expose them to child, early and forced marriages including poor health conditions. The project rescues girls aged 13-18 years from child, early and forced marriages in Uganda and increase their access to good quality primary and secondary education. The project addresses the challenge of increased early, child and forced marriages in Uganda. In Uganda more than 34% of girls are married before their 18th birthday every year in Uganda, and 1 in 10 is married before turning 15 years. in addition, COVID 19 caused escalation of teenage pregnancies and school dropout including child mothers. This is therefore, a report for January to April 2023.

Achievements

• 28 leaders mobilized and sensitized on 2020 new guidelines on pregnancy prevention and management in schools
• 67 parents mobilized and sensitized on 2020 new guidelines on pregnancy prevention and management in schools
• 113 adolescent girls mobilized and sensitized and provided sexual and reproductive health education
• 80 adolescent girls provided acrostic materials
• 97 adolescent girls provided re-usable sanitary pads.

Challenges:

• Limited financial support to accelerate project implementation
• High cost of re-usable sanitary pads
• Child bearing girls face challenges of paying baby sitter. They are not allowed to enter classes with babies and when they lack them they absent from studies taking responsibility of caring for their children.  
• High expectations by the target girls

Recommendation:

• All well-wishers are requested to support the reduction of child, early and forced marriages in Uganda. Child marriage is a human right violation issue and required a lot of attention. The increased child marriages in Uganda also undermine both the government and donors efforts put in education sector.

Links:

• www.google