ENDING CHILD MARRIAGES IN UGANDA

Child marriages and unsafe child abortions are a big issue in Uganda today. It is very unfortunate that child/ early pregnancies are common in Uganda which leads to a lot of unsafe abortions, maternity injury and death. A lot of misconceptions and lawful barriers on access to abortion-related care are present today.
Kayden foundation reaches out in communities to aid, supplement and facilitate vulnerable pregnant children to receive proper antenatal, post-birth and safe post abortion care in the following ways;
Kayden foundation in partnership with local authorities and community leaders, we encourage formulation and enforcement of laws and policies to abolish early marriages of vulnerable girls below the age of 21 years, to improve access to contraceptive information and services such as; emergency contraceptives for vulnerable teenagers, to improve coverage of sexuality education, to punish sexual offenders, to enable adolescents to adopt safe abortion care; and to expand the access of all vulnerable pregnant adolescent children, to skilled antenatal, childbirth and postnatal care specialists, including both basic and comprehensive emergency obstetric care.
Vulnerable adolescent girls need to be informed and empowered to prevent pregnancy (and contracting sexually transmitted infections, including HIV). Sexuality education through Kayden foundation aims to equip vulnerable children and adolescents with the knowledge, skills and values to make responsible choices about their sexual and social relationships. Similarly, vulnerable children need to be informed about safe abortion care, where legally available, and to be knowledgeable about the dangers of unsafe abortion. Vulnerable adolescent girls need to develop their life skills, and improve their links to social networks and social supports that can help them to refuse unwanted sex and to resist coerced sex, actions that they often feel powerless to do.
With the aid of Kayden foundation and the health sector, there is need to implement interventions to improve the delivery of health services to vulnerable adolescent children as a means of facilitating their access to and use of contraceptive information and services as well as skilled antenatal specialists and childbirth care. Vulnerable adolescent children, their families and communities must be made aware of the importance of skilled antenatal and childbirth care. Service providers must show special sensitivity in dealing with vulnerable adolescent girls.
Vulnerable pregnant adolescent girls must get the support they need to be well prepared for birth and birth-related emergencies; this includes creating a birthing plan that covers complications and emergencies during childbirth that can be attained from communities working hand in hand with Kayden foundation and you our trusted donors. Such preparedness must be an integral part of antenatal care for all pregnant adolescent girls thus bettering the lives and families of our young vulnerable children.