At just 15 years old, Ruth Namakula wakes up each morning knowing she has survived what many adults would struggle to endure.
Pregnant at 13, homeless at 14, and battling suicidal thoughts before turning 15, her experience lays bare the worsening crisis of teenage pregnancy and child abuse in Uganda one that activists say continues to devastate girls despite years of policy interventions.
Sitting quietly outside a community shelter in Lyantonde Town, Namakula recalls the day her life changed.
“I got pregnant when I was 13.I got scared. I ran away from home. But when I came back after three months, my parents hated me,” she says, her voice barely above a whisper.
She describes the cruelty she faced upon returning.
“They abused me. They chased me. When you get pregnant when it was not your wish… it is not good,” she says, struggling to hold back tears.
The emotional suffering was so intense that she considered ending her life. “If I had not been counselled, I would be dead,” she says quietly.
Namakula’s ordeal is far from unique. Her story reflects thousands of testimonies from girls across Uganda who became pregnant during the prolonged Covid-19 school closures and have since faced rejection, violence, poverty and trauma.
Her experience mirrors that of 16-year-old Annet Nakacwa from Kalagala Village, also in Lyantonde District. Nakacwa became pregnant in Senior One during the Covid-19 lockdown. Instead of receiving support, she was met with hostility.
“My father got bitter at me. When he would see me, he abused me. I felt tired of this world,” she recalls.
Eventually, she was forced out of her home and taken to a shelter at four months pregnant. Her baby was later born with a hole in the heart and complications affecting waste passage.
“I shed tears but after treatment, the baby stabilised,” she says
Through a tailoring training programme, Nakacwa is slowly rebuilding her life.
“Right now, I can even look after my parents,” she adds with pride.
Her progress shows what becomes possible when survivors receive care, counselling and empowerment something Namakula and thousands of other girls still desperately need.
Despite years of campaigns, Uganda’s teenage pregnancy rates remain among the highest globally.
Annabelle Nakabiri, Executive Director of The Remnant Generation, expressed alarm at the lack of progress.
“One in every four girls becomes pregnant before 18,” she said. “The statistics are the same even at the health centres. We still have many young children giving birth.”
Nakabiri highlighted regions with the highest rates including Busoga sub-region, Ntungamo, Mbale and Karamoja where cultural practices continue to drive teenage pregnancies.
“Girls are still being married off young. They are traded for cattle, beer, or to settle family debts,” she noted. “Many are still viewed as a source of wealth.”
Uganda has created policies on child protection, reproductive health and education. Yet the gap between policy and practice remains stark.
“We have policies and structures,” Nakabiri said, “but girls are still not accessing education, healthcare or legal support. The family system is also breaking down.”
She pointed to single motherhood, economic hardship and absentee fathers as major drivers of vulnerability among school-age girls.
Even when girls avoid early pregnancy or abuse, reintegrating into communities is often difficult because of stigma, poverty and limited opportunities.
The Remnant Generation has adopted a 10-year strategy known as the Three RRT Model, Rescue, Restoration, Repurposing and Thriving to address the long-term needs of survivors.
The process begins with rescuing girls from abusive environments, followed by treating emotional and psychological trauma.
“Untreated trauma leads to repeated abuse. We help the girls reclaim their identity,” Nakabiri explained.
Subsequent phases focus on skilling, education and building economic independence. Many beneficiaries have returned to school, joined university or started small businesses.
“Their past does not define their destiny,” she added.
Dr Noeline Kirabo, founder of Kyusa, a youth empowerment organisation, said one of the biggest gaps in Uganda’s response is the lack of holistic empowerment for girls.
“Any girl or woman who is not empowered is at risk. We have mature women who cannot stitch their clothes or cook a meal. Empowerment must go beyond academic qualifications,” she said
She stressed that while vocational skills such as tailoring and hairdressing help, they are not enough.
“Girls also need confidence, financial literacy and a mindset change,” she said. “Financially empowered women are no longer at risk,”
Kirabo added that many programmes reintegrate girls without equipping them with the soft skills required to withstand stigma or economic pressure.
Kirabo warned that Uganda’s safeguarding systems from families to schools to the justice sector are failing girls.
“Sometimes the very places girls go to for help are the same places where they are victimised,” she said. “The system is broken.”
She underscored the role of parents:
“Before a child gets to school, parents must play their role. A child needs to know they can speak up.”
Kirabo criticised the fragmentation among non-governmental organisations, saying many are working on similar issues but without coordination.
“There are so many NGOs doing so many things around girls,” she said. “But are we providing the right set of skills?”
Not every girl, she stressed, is suited for vocational work.
“Some girls may want digital or software skills. We have the capacity, but we work in silos.”
She called for a unified ecosystem where government and NGOs collaborate to deliver life skills, education pathways, digital training and long-term mentorship.
Back in Lyantonde, Namakula is still struggling to cope. She hopes her story will encourage parents to protect not punish daughters facing early pregnancy.
“I don’t want any girl to go through what I faced,” she says softly.
Her plea, and those of many others across the country, reflect a crisis Uganda can no longer ignore.
“We are not raising ‘our girls. We are building a generation. The better we equip them, the better the future,” Kirabo said