KAMULI – All roads headed to Kamuli on Thursday to witness the launch of ‘EYE Universal SRHR Project’ to advance sexual and reproductive health and rights for adolescents and youth in the Busoga sub-region.
Under the theme “My Body, My Life, My World!” a three-year project which will be implemented particularly in the districts of Kamuli and Mayuge was launched by the Kyabazinga of Busoga HRH William Wilberforce Gabula Nadiope.
The EYE Universal SRHR Project envisions ensuring every adolescent and youth in the two districts, especially those furthest behind, have access to sexual and reproductive health and rights information and services and exercise reproductive rights, free of coercion, discrimination, and violence.
Funded through the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Uganda, the project will be implemented by the United Nations Population Fund – UNFPA together with Marie Stopes Uganda and CARE International and Naguru Teenage Information and Health Centre.
UNFPA Uganda Deputy Representative Mr. Daniel Alemu said the project offers an opportunity to raise awareness and accelerate progress on sexual and reproductive health and rights, to ensure no one is left behind.
He challenged all the stakeholders to ensure the well-being of the adolescents and youth who make up 1.8 billion of the world’s population.
“They are shaping social and economic development, challenging social norms and values, and building the foundation of the world’s future. While notable progress has been made, many young people – especially adolescent girls – are denied the investments and opportunities that they require to realize their full potential.”
Among many other challenges faced by adolescents and young women, Mr. Alemu says include;
- One in four adolescent women aged 15-19 are already mothers or pregnant with their first child.
- Thirty-four (34) percent of women 20-24 years were married or in union before age of 18.
- Over 25,000 teenage pregnancies were recorded in two districts of Kamuli and Mayuge in 2020 and 2021.
- One in three (30.4%) female adolescents aged 15–19 years in need of modern contraceptive methods have no access.
- Almost half (47%) of unsafe abortions every year occur among young women 15-24 years.
- Over 5,000 abortions were registered in two districts of Kamuli and Mayuge in 2020 and 2021.
- Young people are responsible for 35% of the new HIV infections annually.
- Among young people aged 15-24 years, almost 4 in every 5 new infections occurred among young women.
He is, however, optimistic that the project will positively impact on reducing unintended pregnancies, teenage pregnancies, and maternal deaths.
“It will empower adolescents and young people, including those in hard-to-reach communities and those most at risk, to decide over their own bodies, make informed choices, and utilize high-quality, integrated SRHR information and services.”
He also lauded the Government of Uganda for its continued support of creating an enabling policy environment and legal framework for the advancement and integration of sexual and reproductive health services and reproductive rights, free of coercion, discrimination, and violence for young people.
“UNFPA commits to ensuring stronger collaboration, responsiveness, and support to realizing the successful implementation and attainment of the set targets and deliverables under this project,” he said.
Mr. Ole Reidar Bergum – Deputy Ambassador of the Norwegian Embassy in Uganda said that promoting and protecting sexual and reproductive health and rights is essential to achieve gender equality and prevent unnecessary death and suffering.
“SRHR also promotes economic development and progress of society at large. Modern contraceptives allow women girls and their partners to decide the number spacing and timing of children and some also prevent the transmission of sexually transmitted infections.”
Mr. Ole notes that access to sexual and reproductive health services remains a challenge around the world, revealing that 50% of all pregnancies on a global stage are unintended with 43% of women and girls being unable to make decisions about their own sexual and reproductive health.
“In rural communities in Uganda, approximately 27% of teenage girls between 15 and 19 years have begun childbearing. This figure has unfortunately remained the same for several years with limited progress in terms of reducing the percentage.”
He blamed this on the lack of knowledge by many young people to make responsible decisions about sexual and reproductive health which makes them vulnerable to violence.
Mr. Ole also blamed early childhood marriage on the rise of poverty caused by the [Covid-19] pandemic, forcing families to marry off their daughters to help alleviate financial burdens.
He committed to supporting not only strengthening girls’ and young people’s access to sexual and reproductive health services but also protecting them from sexual and gender-based violence.
Elaborating the extent to which teenage pregnancies are killing the future of adolescents, Mr. Kyateka Mondo Francis, Assistant Commissioner, Youth at the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development said, “… the recently released results of UPE. The children who sat UPE in 2022 entered primary one in 2016 and were 1,880,000. By the time of seating exams in 2022, they were only 830,000 the question that lingers on everybody’s mind is where the entire million go. Your guess is as good as mine.”
“Many of them got pregnant and dropped out of school,” he noted.
He is also optimistic that the project will create a positive change but asked the development partners to think of the entire Busoga sub-region, not just two districts.
Other implementing partners, Marie Stopes Uganda, CARE International and Naguru Teenage Information and Health Centre committed to employing their mobile outreach teams to reach out to the communities and facilities to extend the necessary services to the adolescents.
“We are going to tap on [our] expertise in empowering our health workers in these two districts, in the approaches that make sense and that work when you want to reach young people,” said Dr. Peter Dungu – Marie Stopes Uganda boss.
Kyabazinga commended all the partners and committed full support in the fight against teenage pregnancy and other related vices.
“I do believe that if we work as a team, we shall be in a position to fight these vices which are taking a toll on our youth, yet we need to see them having a bright future.”
“As the Kingdom, we shall continue prioritizing projects and activities related to you [young people], such that we can be in a position to have good and fruitful leaders in the future,” he added.
He implored the different sponsors and partners to continue bringing more of such projects in different activities.
The project’s primary target beneficiaries are in- and out-of-school young people aged 10-24 years, comprising about 70 percent female and 30 percent male and the secondary target include the people and structures that directly or indirectly influence the lives of the targeted young people, including parents, caregivers, community health volunteers, political, religious, cultural and community leaders. health care providers, teachers, district sectoral leads and policymakers.
