West Nile gets sh85 billion reproductive health project

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By exactly 10:00am on June 3, 2025, the waiting room at Yumbe Regional Referral Hospital’s antenatal care (ANC) unit was already full.

Rows of seats were occupied by young girls, many dressed in colourful dresses and some clutching bags while others with polythene bags in their hands.

At a first glance, one might wonder why so many young girls are at the hospital during school hours. However, these are not ordinary patients; they are expectant teenage mothers, gathered for the hospital’s designated antenatal care day, specially set aside every Tuesday to serve them.

Among them is a 16 year old Hatima Bako (not her real name), who was for her final ANC visit as her due date nears.

Bako’s story is one of many, echoing the plight of adolescent girls in the region.

“I was in Primary Seven when I got pregnant,” she says.

“I should be in Senior One now, but my parents told me they couldn’t keep me at home anymore with the pregnancy and asked me to go to the responsible man," Bako laments.

Her situation worsened when the man responsible for the pregnancy denied involvement and fled, leaving Bako to live with his family alone and unsupported.

“The man responsible for the pregnancy ran away and never called again. I don’t even know where he is now,” she added.

Bako dreams of going back to school after giving birth because she wasn't ready to get a baby.

“I will go back to school after delivery. I can't tolerate the humiliations in the marriage," Bako said.

Bako's story is similar to that of several other teenagers in West Nile region as teenage pregnancy cases surge.

Teenage motherhood overwhelms health facilities.

Over three in every 10 pregnancies

According to Yumbe district chief administrative officer Moses Chuna Kapoloni, the regional health report indicates that, over 37% of women attending antenatal care services across all health facilities in the region are teenagers below the age of 19.

He said, most of the teenagers who get pregnant are sent into marriage by their parents because of need for wealth.

Kapoloni added that the disturbing statistics have a heavy impact on the school completion rates in the region.

“Like for us in Yumbe district, only 23% of the school children complete primary school. Among the low numbers, girls are less than 15%," Kapolon said.

High caesarean cases

Yumbe Regional Referral Hospital director Dr Patrick Odongo said over 80% of the teenage mothers who seek delivery end up undergoing surgery (C-section).

He attributes it to an underdeveloped body which possesses a lot of risks when delayed in labour.Odongo added that the majority of the teenage mothers go for Antenatal care services unaccompanied as the men responsible for their pregnancies either denied them or have run away from the responsibility.

Polygamy driving cases up

Yumbe district chairperson Abdulmutwalib Asiku attributes the high teenage pregnancy cases to the inability of many parents in the region to take care of their children.

He said, with the polygamy practice in the region, on average a family has over 10 children and it becomes hard to provide basic needs to all.

Asiku noted that many of the children end up looking for their survival in the communities.

He further stated that, the family planning uptake in the region still stands at only 20% against the national average of 34%.

"We are sitting on a time bomb. If nationally the family planning uptake is 34% and for us who are even producing more than another region it is only 20%, this is a very serious issue”, Asiku said.

Ray of hope

At least there is some ray of hope for the region as the Kingdom of Netherlands has donated Euros 20 million (approximately shillings 85 billion) to fund a four-year PROTECT SRHR project aimed at improving sexual and reproductive health and rights in the region.

The PROTECT SRHR project that was launched in Yumbe district recently will be implemented in the districts of Yumbe, Maracha, Koboko, Terego, Nebbi and Pakwach.

It will be implemented by the consortium led by International Rescue Committee (IRC) in partnership with Reach a hand Uganda, World Vision and Humanitarian inclusion.

Elijah Okeyo, Country Director IRC. (Credit: Adam Gule)

IRC country director Elijah Okeyo said the initiative seeks to combat teenage pregnancies, increase access to reproductive health services, improve maternal health outcomes, and strengthen the capacity of healthcare providers.

He said, the target population in the project are basically the young girls and women in the reproductive age.

“Here we are looking at how we can retain children in school and how we can avoid preventable maternal deaths," Okeyo said.

He added that they will reach the target population through schools and health facilities.

“We want to ensure children join school, stay in school and complete the cycle of education as well as the health care services should be improved", he said.

Huge burden

Health ministry reproductive and child health commissioner Dr Richard Mugahi said, sexual reproductive health and rights is still a huge issue in the country.

According to him, the cases are worse in the upcountry, especially the districts hosting refugees due to increased competition for resources and changed way of life.

“The teenage pregnancy rate of the country now stands at 25%, but here the region is over 37%. This is a serious battle," Mugahi said.

He added that over 45% of the pregnancies in the country are unintended, which he attributed to high rates of teenage pregnancies.

He said, looking at the troubling trend, the project is so timely to change the picture.

Teenage pregnancies harbouring illiteracy in Uganda.

Primary education state minister Dr Moriku Kaducu said the high teenage pregnancy cases have heavily affected the literacy rate in the region.

Moriku challenged the parents in the region to keep their children in school as a modality to fight teenage pregnancy.

She further cautioned the development partners against tendencies of giving contraceptives to young school age going children in the names of fighting teenage pregnancy.

Reduction in teenage pregnancy and retention in schools top priority

Elin Hilwig, secretary in the Kingdom of Netherlands in Uganda said, by the end of the four years of the project implementation, the hopes are to achieve over 10% reduction in the high teenage pregnancy cases, improve school dropout rate by at least 10 % and also other indicators.

Huda Oleru Abason, the minister of state In-charge veteran affairs and also the Member of Parliament for Aringa East constituency described the project as an investment to see a well transformed and better empowered West Nile and Uganda.