Through InPact Uganda, the World Health Organization (WHO) with financial support from KOICA Uganda has trained 515 teachers from five districts of Busoga in adolescent responsive sexual reproductive health.
The group that included learners, teachers and other beneficiaries were selected from schools facing challenges including high school drop out rates due to early pregnancy.
“I have learnt more about SRH and this has enabled me to gain more skills on how I will be able to reduce the rates of teenage pregnancy in adolescents both at school and within my community,” Itembe Wilson, a teacher and also beneficiary from the program said.
Mrs. Tagwana Deborah, a teacher at Nakigo SS also thanked the group for sparing their time to educate their community. “from this training, I have learnt how to handle the student/young mothers and also offer guidance and counselling to the susbstance and drug users,” she said.
According to KOICA, the main funders, the program targets to reach up to 2400 students, 505 teachers and 180 health works with skills in Adolescent health.
According to Mr. Baker Kasadha the District Education Officer, many young girls in the region continuously drop out of school to take on marriage.
“Teenage pregnancy is the order of the day in Iganga. Our children are getting married off so early and the boys normally run away. In Nakigo S.S, 70 girls dropped out and when we called their parents, they had been married off due to pregnancies,” he says.