In Bughendera County, located in the Bundibugyo district, young women are facing a dire situation due to the limited availability of family planning services. They point to this scarcity as a primary reason for the rising number of early pregnancies in the area.
These young women desire to take control of their reproductive health, but the mountainous and isolated nature of the county makes it nearly impossible for them to access the services they need. This lack of access forces them to make life-altering choices with severe consequences for their future and well-being.
Lillian Vumulia, a young resident of Bgombwa in Busaru Sub County, shares her story of shattered dreams. She once aspired to become a nursing officer but had her dreams derailed by an unwanted pregnancy at the age of 18.
While Vumulia was aware of family planning, she couldn’t travel over 20 kilometers to the nearest facility offering these services. She says, “When I got pregnant, I feared to tell my parents and had to run away from home, gave birth at a friend’s place, and my boyfriend abandoned me.
If I had access to these services, maybe I could have achieved my dream of becoming a nursing officer.” Today, she is a single mother, struggling to make ends meet through odd jobs to support her child.
Similarly, Agnes Namara experienced motherhood while still in primary school, and she was forced to leave her home after giving birth. Namara emphasizes the importance of providing young women with information on their reproductive and sexual health so they can exercise their right to choose and safeguard their own and their children’s well-being.
In the village, limited access to family planning services necessitates long journeys to the main hospital, creating challenges for those who need these services to control the timing of their pregnancies.
Jackline Kabugho, a 19-year-old mother of two, attributes her early motherhood to a lack of information, limited access to family planning, and poverty in her family. She wishes the government would establish youth-friendly points for easy access to these services.
Racheal Kabugho had to sell her retail shop after complications during childbirth in 2022, and she now lives with her grandmother while struggling to raise her child. She had tried to access family planning but faced challenges due to the limited availability of contraceptive methods at her facility.
Moreover, Sarah Kabagenyi, working with Bundibugyo Women with Disabilities Living with HIV Association, expresses concern that people with disabilities (PWDs) are often overlooked when it comes to family planning services.
PWDs with hearing impairments and mobility challenges face difficulties accessing these services, making them vulnerable to sexual exploitation. Their lack of access to family planning leads to challenges in controlling the number of children they have and many end up as single parents.
Health experts in the area confirm that the low utilization of family planning services is impacting the fertility pattern and population growth rate in the district, hindering the healthy development of young women and adolescents.
The shortage of contraceptives and trained health workers, along with unfriendly service providers, further compound the problem. The absence of digital solutions and lack of motivation for village health teams add to the challenges.
Peace Muhindo, a health worker, notes that men’s limited involvement and the remote location of the facilities also contribute to the low numbers of young mothers seeking family planning services.
Annah Kukundakwe, a Senior Programme Officer, highlights the fact that many adolescent girls in Uganda become mothers due to sexual violations by older men. She emphasizes the need for routine access to family planning services to empower these girls and prevent further harm.
Kukundakwe urges the government to enforce laws against sexual violence, enabling young girls and women to access reproductive health services effectively. Failing to do so may result in a population that is highly dependent and uneducated, with limited employable skills, which could have a detrimental impact on the nation’s overall development agenda.
Bundibugyo District Member of Parliament Josephine Babungi reassures that the government is committed to improving access to Sexual Reproductive Health Services for all.
However, a 2022 survey jointly conducted by the Ministry of Health, Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS), and Makerere University School of Public Health revealed that 15 percent of women in Uganda cannot access contraceptives.
Globally, in 2021, an estimated 14 percent of adolescent girls and young women gave birth before the age of 20. In Uganda, 24.8 percent of women between 15 and 19 years have already started childbearing, despite the risks of childbirth complications and injuries among teenage girls.