Yumbe, Uganda | URN | Rising cases of teenage pregnancy, early marriages, school dropout and gender-based violence in Yumbe District have prompted stakeholders to launch the Brave Girls 2026 campaign aimed at protecting girls and keeping them in school.
According to statistics from Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights stakeholders in West Nile, Yumbe has the highest reported cases of teenage pregnancy, school dropout and early marriages in the region, with only one in every ten girls who enrol in Primary One reaching Primary Seven.
The campaign, launched under the theme “Amplifying Girls’ Voices, Advancing Girls’ Power and Potential,” seeks to provide a safe and empowering space for both in-school and out-of-school girls, including young people with disabilities.
The campaign will focus on building girls’ confidence and enabling them to speak out about issues affecting their lives. It will also provide sexual and reproductive health information to girls and young people through schools, communities, community barazas and outreach activities.
The campaign will officially roll out this month with support from Reach A Hand Africa under the PROTECT SRHR Project, the Aringa Kingdom, Yumbe District Local Government Community Services Department and other development partners. Hajjat Medina Naham Ojale, the Director of Finance and Administration at the NRM Secretariat and a role model for the campaign, called on parents to have children they can adequately provide for, educate and care for until they reach maturity.
Drawing from her own experience growing up in a polygamous family, Hajjat Medina also challenged girls to live purposeful lives, know their rights, believe in their potential, overcome barriers and pursue their aspirations. She said families have a responsibility to nurture children into independent and responsible adults capable of making informed decisions about their future.“If parents can nurture children into independent, responsible, and capable of making informed choices about their future and avoid pushing the burden onto the community, then we can reduce on vices such as teenage pregnancies, early marriages and gender-based violence, which are destroying our young generation,” Hajjat Medina Naham Ojale said.
She said empowering children to become self-reliant and responsible would ultimately make them a resource for the country. Meanwhile, Fadhil Lemeriga, the Prime Minister of Aringa Kingdom, said the Kingdom fully supports the Brave Girls 2026 campaign, particularly in addressing teenage pregnancy and school dropout, which he said remain major challenges in the area.
Lemeriga also called on the central government to support young people in the Kingdom through short-term skills training programmes that can equip them with practical skills and keep them productively engaged.
Local authorities and other stakeholders involved in efforts to combat gender-based violence, teenage pregnancy and early marriages in Yumbe and West Nile have also called for increased government funding to the most affected and disadvantaged communities.
They say additional resources would enable communities to strengthen advocacy, protect girls’ rights and address the social and economic factors contributing to the challenges.
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