The residents believe that providing hands-on skills training could safeguard the future of their children, who are often forced to drop out of school due to limited educational opportunities in the area which could lead to early pregnancy.
Residents of Busongole Village in Kamuli District are demanding the establishment of a vocational school to enable them to acquire skills that make them self-reliant in future and curb the increasing cases of teenage pregnancies.
They believe that providing hands-on skills
training could safeguard the future of their children, who are often forced to
drop out of school due to limited educational opportunities in the area which could lead to early pregnancy.
According to Pison Kabayireki, the chairman of Busongole,
extreme poverty has made it difficult for most families to afford education
beyond primary school. As a result, many children drop out before even reaching
secondary school.
He says that if a vocational school is constructed, children who can’t proceed with formal education will have a chance to learn
practical skills and improve their lives.
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Wilber
Omudinyi has donated an acre of land for the construction, while
others have pledged to contribute materials like bricks. This approach, locals say, is to ensure potential partners find them ready to begin
the project.
Omudiny said
his decision was driven by the desire to see his village progress because the future
of their area lies in educating the younger generation.
//Cue in: kulwobulungi bwekyalo …
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This issue is one of the key challenges being addressed
through Twaweza’s Participation Action Research (PAR) initiative, which is
being implemented across five districts nationwide to foster collaboration
between citizens and authorities, improve services, enhance local government
capacity, and strengthen citizen participation.
In 2020, Twaweza, which tracks citizens’ views on various issues, launched the PAR
campaign in Kamuli District, as well as in Kole, Namutumba, Kyenjojo, and
Rubanda to identify and train community change agents, conduct participatory
research with different groups, and develop and implement joint action plans to
address the challenges identified.
The goal is to empower community members to
identify their challenges and find solutions independently. They can
collaboratively demand services from the government but also mobilize
themselves to solve their challenges such as fixing boreholes and roads.
Judith Nakayima, the program officer at Twaweza, noted
that initially, local people were hesitant to embrace the approach. However,
the response has gradually improved as they began to see positive results.
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For years, the Busoga region, particularly Kamuli
District, has struggled with high rates of teenage pregnancies, largely driven
by poverty and high school dropout rates. This, in turn, leaves teenagers idle,
increasing their vulnerability to engaging in early sexual activity.
Last year, leaders in Kamuli and Buyende districts
decried the high number of teenage pregnancies recorded in the Busoga
Sub-region. The leaders revealed that between 2019 and 2021, Busoga
recorded a total of 135,684 teenage pregnancies. Kamuli District alone
registered a total of 4,493 deliveries by teenage mothers between July 2022 and
March.
Their concerns align with research from Metropolitan
International University, which reported a teenage pregnancy rate of 35.8% in
Kamuli District in 2021—significantly higher than the 27% average for rural
areas across Uganda.
Peter Mugoyalyagoba, one of the community change agents,
told URN that a major challenge they identified was the growing idleness among
children, which led to negative behaviours like theft and teenage pregnancies,
ultimately threatening the future of the village.
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Joyce Nabirye, a woman leader noted that
mothers bear the burden when girls become pregnant, as the boys responsible
often disappear. Nabirye believes a vocational school would not only keep girls
occupied but also create opportunities for them to avoid falling victim to
early pregnancies.
//Cue in: ensonga etuletera …
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Meanwhile, beyond advocating for the vocational school,
residents have also used the PAR framework to improve access to clean water.
Their efforts have led to the construction of four boreholes, benefiting 730
households and over 1,900 residents.
