community 9 October 2026 Daily Monitor (Uganda)
Wakiso Teenage Mothers Find Hope Through Community Support and Skills Training
The Wamukisa Youth Centre in Wakiso District, supported by the Rotary Club of Entebbe, is providing teenage mothers with essential care, counseling, and vocational skills to foster independence and reintegration into society. Source: https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/news/national/how-community-support-and-skilling-are-reshaping-the-lives-of-wakiso-s-teenage-mothers-5625464
Teenage pregnancy in Uganda often leads to social ostracization and the premature end of education. However, initiatives like the Wamukisa Youth Centre in Wakiso District, with backing from the Rotary Club of Entebbe, are working to break this cycle.
The centre offers comprehensive support, including health services, psychological counseling, and vital skills development in areas such as hairdressing, tailoring, and soap making. The aim is to empower young mothers to become self-reliant and contribute to their communities.
Arthur Byara, President of the Rotary Club of Entebbe, stressed the importance of a societal mindset shift, moving from condemnation to support. “As part of the community, ours is to do a mindset change,” he stated during a visit to the centre. “It is not only about castigating parents for what has gone wrong… but if we have a mindset change, even when a girl gets pregnant, we would like for them to come back into the community and be accepted.”
Beyond immediate donations of supplies, the club is focused on sustainable solutions. “Not only did we bring scholastic materials and sanitary kits, but we have also given them hope by skilling them,” Byara added, highlighting plans for a long-term global grant to expand vocational training.
Esther Lugolobi, the centre manager, echoed the sentiment, explaining that practical skills enable young mothers to care for themselves and their children post-delivery. She also appealed to parents not to abandon their daughters during such crises, as this can lead to dangerous outcomes. The centre, however, faces challenges, including operating at full capacity and dealing with complex cases where family members are perpetrators, necessitating alternative care arrangements.
With a capacity of 32 mothers, Wamukisa Youth Centre often turns away girls due to resource limitations, underscoring the significant scale of the teenage pregnancy crisis in Uganda and the urgent need for broader community and institutional support. “Our community needs to come and support such centres,” urged Mr. Byara. “We need to have a mindset change. We no longer stigmatise these teenage mothers, but support them as part of us.”
Source: Daily Monitor (Uganda)