Teenage pregnancy… Many a time, the girl faces the scrutiny, humiliation, embarrassment and if the partner is not willing, the responsibility is hers as well which is always the case. Society has since time memorial believed this is an issue that affects only girls, but is that really true? We think its not! We, altogether need to be part of the solution. According to the Uganda Bureau of Statistics, one in every four teenage girls between 15 and 19 was found pregnant. Data from the bureau shows that adolescents from poor families and young girls with busy parents are more likely to get pregnant.
Why this occurrence? Sex education has not been given required attention in schools and parents fear to talk to their children about Sexual and Reproductive Health, yet young people are Sexually active. According to the Uganda Demographic Health survey 2011, about 14 per cent of young women and 16 per cent of young men had their first sexual encounter before the age of 15 while 57 per cent of young women had their first encounter before the age of 18.
With this background, Reach A Hand, Uganda is joining forces with the corporate community, local and international organization to raise awareness on the issues of teenage pregnancy. Hosting the Airtel Inspiring Women Concert during the Women’s Day celebration, to create fun yet informative environment to highlight the fact Teenage Pregnancy is not a girls issue alone but one that should concern the men and boys too. The Airtel Inspiring Women Concert will be headlined by Tiwa Savage our new Cultural Icon featuring top Ugandan female musicians. It will be hosted at Kati Kati, Lugogo Bypass, Kampala, on Sunday, March 8 at 2:00pm – 9:00pm with the aim of reaching out to the youth about Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights in regards to Teenage Pregnancy.
This will also be a platform to award outstanding women achievers in society to inspire the young women attending to aspire for greater heights. The concert is supported by Talent Africa, and Airtel Uganda. Regular tickets are at 20k and VIP Tickets are at 50k starting March 1st at selected airtel stores and Acacia mall.
We will have organisations in the SRHR Alliance partnering and putting up stalls for SRHR information and services for those who attend. It is also an opportunity to link people to these organisations that are passionate about their health. Does your organisation want to partner? Contact Linda, our Communications and Partnerships Coordinator at linda@reachahand.org
Like the UNFPA team says “Let girls be girls, invest in Teenage pregnancy,” See you at the concert as we invest in addressing and raising awareness on the issue of Teenage Pregnancy.
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BetterLife4Girls teenage pregnancy UNFPA