PROGRESS REPORT ON WRA UGANDA’S ADVOCACY CAMPAIGN TO REDUCE ADOLESCENT PREGNANCIES In Uganda, one in four girls aged 15 - 19 is already a mother or pregnant with her first child. More than 300,000 teenagers who get pregnant account for the bulk of unwanted pregnancies, which end up in unintended births or abortion. In May 2016, WRA Uganda launched an advocacy campaign address this problem and to push the government to prioritise measures to reduce adolescent pregnancies. The first objective of the campaign is to convince Ministries of Health, Education and Gender need to work together to develop and implement a comprehensive plan to reduce adolescent pregnancies and WRA Uganda’s activities to date have focused on galvanizing public opinion, especially of young Ugandan citizens, and working with policy makers to raise the issue of adolescent pregnancies up the political agenda. The impact of the activities so far has been very exciting and the campaign has quickly gained momentum and garnered the support of politicians and Ugandan citizens alike. WORKING WITH STAKEHOLDERS Four district stakeholders meetings were convened with the purpose of introducing the campaign to a wider scope of stakeholders, mobilize support, and secure commitments for community and citizens actions. Specifically, WRA Uganda successfully worked with its members in Lira, Mityana, Buikwe and Butaleja districts to organize and convene meetings which included political leaders, district technical leaders, representatives from schools, religious and cultural representatives, media, adolescents and teen mothers. Many stakeholders pledged to provide support to the campaign and various commitments were made. For example, WRA Uganda secured political support from district leaders, and many people committed to collect signatures to petition the Prime Minister for developing a multi-sector plan. “When WRA came to my office to inform me about "Butaleja is among the districts in Uganda with high teenage pregnancies, I said this is again another area teenage pregnancy at over 40%. I was shocked by the we should focus on. In the past, I thought as a district statistics. We are sitting on a time bomb. We want a we were doing wonderful until I got a report from district free from teenage pregnancies. We would like White Ribbon Alliance that showed our rural health to see a girl educated and becomes a headmistress in facilities were not doing very well to save mothers. We Butaleja like my sister Magaret. I commit to be part of really revised our plans and budget to ensure the gaps the team to deliver the petition. One of my support is were closed and the achievements helped me in the to work with you to petition the Prime Minister and campaign, because I could just point at what we had even the First Lady. You can bank on me to push this done. This scourge of teenage pregnancy is at large. issue" Even cultural leaders were not addressing it, even I was not addressing it. This is an issue I cannot shy - Newly sworn in Buteleja District LC V Chairperson away from. I want to give a big political support to this Richard Waya commits at a stakeholders meeting. campaign to end teenage pregnancy." The meeting was convened by WRA-Uganda and Universal Health Foundation in Butaleja District. - Lira District Chairperson, Alex Oremo Alot speaking at a stakeholders' meeting convened by WRA Uganda After attending one of the stakeholders meetings in Mityana district, FHI 360, a nonprofit human development organization, became interested and called WRA-Ug for a meeting to support the campaign through providing free radio and TV air time for campaign communications and messaging. whiteribbonalliance.org [email protected] 1 WORKING WITH UGANDAN YOUTH WORKING WITH POLICY MAKERS WRA Uganda has been able galvanize the power of Since the launch of the campaign, WRA Uganda has the youth to drive the campaign. This is the result of a met with a number of political stakeholders to share very successful youth stakeholders meeting which with them concerns about the adolescent pregnancy was organized in collaboration with youth-led and rate in Uganda and to seek their support for the youth-focused organizations and networks. WRA multisectoral plan. Uganda, with the African Youth Network’s (AfriYAN) Uganda chapter, Uganda Youth Adolescents Health One of the first people who WRA Uganda met with Forum, and the Allied Youth Initiative Uganda, was the National Population Council Executive brought together over 60 youths who are leaders in Director, Dr Jotham Musinguzi; a renowned adolescent health-focused organizations, youth champion of reproductive and adolescent health. Dr advocates for RMNCAH, and adolescent mothers. Musinguzi pledged to work with WRA Uganda to ensure that the campaign secures political support at the national decision making level. Dr. Musinguzi has also showed interest in supporting a national youth dialogue on adolescent pregnancy in the context of the demographic dividend transition and the government’s efforts to achieve Uganda’s Vision 2040. "The focus of the campaign is extremely important. I agree that a multi-sectoral approach to addressing the teenage and adolescent pregnancies is the way to go. The government needs to invest in teenage girls to harness their full potential. I am joining you and I'll ensure that there is political support for a multisectoral plan." - Dr Jotham Musinguzi, Director General, Uganda Population Council, pledged while meeting with WRA Uganda representatives in his office in Kampala The group discussed the campaign and how to work WRA Uganda has also met with the adolescent health together to achieve its goal and objectives. The youth focal person at the Ministry of Health, Ms Miriam representatives provided their own ideas and Namigere. She welcomed the idea of a multisectoral perspectives which will help to shape future approach to address teenage pregnancy. She advocacy activities and they made commitments, as welcomed WRA Uganda’s efforts to involve the Office individuals and on behalf of their organisations. One of the Prime Minister who she identified as key to such commitment was to collect signatures from coordinating activities between the ministries. schools, universities and their communities for the campaign petition. Already, a number of signatures have been collected and submitted to WRA Uganda. The youth representatives also actively participated in two successful twitter chats aimed at popularizing the campaign and encouraging petition signatures from their peers. Youth participation is a key component of the advocacy campaign strategy and WRA Uganda has ensured that youth representatives have been involved in the preparation of the World Population The Prime Minister explained that he had seen the Day activities (see below) and the planned campaign on social media and that he would be very presentation of the petition to the Prime Minister. happy to receive the petition (see Gathering Youths are also appearing on TV programmes with signatures for the campaign petition below). The support from WRA Uganda on how to present the Prime Minister added “There’s no dispute at all in the campaign. country about teenage pregnancy. There’s need for convergence. We also need to include the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development." 2 A week later, on 11 July, WRA Uganda participated in GATHERING SIGNATURES FOR THE the national celebrations for World Population Day CAMPAIGN PETITION under the theme “Harness Uganda’s Demographic Dividend: Invest in Teenage Girls”. On behalf of WRA A key activity of WRA Uganda’s advocacy campaign Uganda, a 19- year-old girl, Dora Ayebazibwe (pictured is to demonstrate to policy makers that there is a third right with the President and WRA Uganda team), groundswell of public opinion in favour of the read out a statement to President Yoweri Kaguta government addressing adolescent pregnancies as a Museveni calling on him and his government to priority issue. WRA Uganda has organized a petition recognize the importance of reducing teenage to help Ugandan citizens to show their support in a pregnancies in the country and make this a priority. simple and accessible way, and plan to present the A 15-year old girl from a local secondary school also petition to the Prime Minister in the near future. recited a poem about teenage pregnancy. Signature collection is going very well and WRA In his speech, the President expressed his intention Uganda already has over 64000 signatures. WRA to engage in further discussion with WRA Uganda Uganda has received excellent support from youths and emphasised that young girls should not get across the country, including: married before the age of 18, saying it would affect their education and that they would end up losing • Youth advocates Doreen Babirye and Jawuhara their lives while giving birth. Walugembe from Kawaala Health Centre IV- teenage section collected 3,000 petition signatures Also on World Population Day, WRA organized a “flash from their colleagues mob” in Kawempe Division, a Kampala suburb, to put • The Universal Health Development Foundation the spotlight on the challenges affecting young Butaleja District, under a youthful team leader people, especially teenage girls, while amplifying Mwesi Yosia, have collected 48,667 signatures their voices to find solutions to these challenges and • Sam Mubiru, a youth with the teenage department how best to invest in their future. at China Uganda Friendship Hospita, delivered on his commitment to collect 500 signatures • Mr Busulwa, a local councilor in one of the municipalities in Kampala has collected 200 signatures and continues to collect more. He commented “Adolescent pregnancy is a major concern in the country. Once you explain and request for a signature, people sign willingly” The majority of the signatures have been gathered offline, but an online version has just been launched on change.org’s website. WRA Uganda is also collecting signatures using UNICEF’s U-Report platform where citizens text ‘WRA’ to 8500 and follow the prompts.