SWODIA administered a survey which showed that many pregnant teenagers between the ages of 14 to 19 years has serious problems which need to be addressed. The Mukono district currently lacks the necessary resources needed to support the high number of young people in need.
Fathers often reject daughters who become pregnant and the daughters are rejected from the family. The survey found that 30% of the teenagers live with friends, 23% with their families and 47% are homeless. For the pregnant teenagers there’s a vast lack of health assistance and most girls do not have access to or attend antenatal care. Among these future mothers, carriers of the HIV virus rarely get medical attention prior to childbirth. As a result, many children have health problems after birth, including HIV.
Poverty, mistreatment by step parents, death of parents, domestic violence, lack of education, and many more factors contribute to the disparity felt by young pregnant women in Mukono. Homelessness increases the risk of human sacrifice, difficulties during child birth, and infant mortality.
The SWODIA project aims to support these women and children. However, due to the lack of funds for this project, SWODIA is sometimes unable to attend to many people’s needs. It is known that a new and larger center will help enable SWODIA to attend to many more women and children. It will offer a place where these teenagers can settle as they go through healing and seek help. They will increase opportunities to earn a living in the future, and therefore increase self-reliance, confidence and education to prosper in life.
Fathers often reject daughters who become pregnant and the daughters are rejected from the family. The survey found that 30% of the teenagers live with friends, 23% with their families and 47% are homeless. For the pregnant teenagers there’s a vast lack of health assistance and most girls do not have access to or attend antenatal care. Among these future mothers, carriers of the HIV virus rarely get medical attention prior to childbirth. As a result, many children have health problems after birth, including HIV.
Poverty, mistreatment by step parents, death of parents, domestic violence, lack of education, and many more factors contribute to the disparity felt by young pregnant women in Mukono. Homelessness increases the risk of human sacrifice, difficulties during child birth, and infant mortality.
The SWODIA project aims to support these women and children. However, due to the lack of funds for this project, SWODIA is sometimes unable to attend to many people’s needs. It is known that a new and larger center will help enable SWODIA to attend to many more women and children. It will offer a place where these teenagers can settle as they go through healing and seek help. They will increase opportunities to earn a living in the future, and therefore increase self-reliance, confidence and education to prosper in life.