Ugandan Citizens Engaging Decision Makers to End Teenage Pregnancy — Part 3
In a country where 25% of all teen girls are pregnant or already mothers, White Ribbon Alliance Uganda is changing society through the “Act Now to End Teenage Pregnancy” movement. This multi-part series by WRA Communication Manager Faridah Luyiga reveals the step-by-step actions taken to engage more 120,000 people and make the Prime Minister take notice.
Other Avenues Used in the Campaign
Other than collecting signatures to petition the Prime Minister, WRA Uganda has used other strategies to drum up support for this campaign from different stakeholders.
The Prime Minister himself acknowledged that he had seen lots of activity on social media about the campaign.
Taking the campaign to Parliament: WRA Uganda worked with the Uganda Women Parliamentary Association to engage Members of Parliament (MPs) directly on the issue. To amplify and show the reality of the problem, they took with them a 14-year-old visibly young pregnant girl, something that sent shock waves down the spines of the MPs, and let them to pledge support to the campaign (read a story about this engagement with Parliament here.)
Stakeholder meetings: Four stakeholder meetings were convened in the districts of Lira, Mityana, Buikwe and Butaleja with the purpose of introducing the campaign. “I was shocked by the statistics that Butaleja is among the districts with the highest teenage pregnancy statistics at 40%,” said the newly sworn-in District LC V Chairperson, Richard Waya. “You can bank on me to push this issue.”
Taking the campaign from local to national leaders: Other than meeting local leaders, WRA Uganda took the plight of teenage girls all the way to the topmost office. During the World Population Day celebrations in Isingiro on July 11th, 2016, 19-year-old Dora Ayebazibwe, on behalf of WRA Uganda, read out a statement to President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni who was in the attendance, calling upon him to recognize the importance of reducing teenage pregnancies in the country and to make it a priority. The President expressed his support of the campaign and emphasized that young girls should not get married before age 18.
Sending emissaries to lobby internationally: WRA Uganda sent Elman Nsinda as a Citizen Representative to the 71st United National General Assembly in New York in September 2016. While there, he was able to directly engage decision makers at the international level about the campaign.
Bringing policy makers on board: Stakeholders like Dr. Jotham Musinguzi, the Executive Director of National Population Council, were brought on board. A renowned and influential champion of reproductive and adolescent health, Dr Musinguzi said, “I am joining you and I will ensure that there is political support for a multi-sectoral plan.”
Social media builds momentum: Twitter and Facebook have been effectively used to build momentum about the campaign. Several Twitter chats have been held to popularize the campaign under the hashtag #EndTeenagePregnancy. The chats have given an opportunity for individuals advocating for a similar cause to speak with one voice.
The campaign attracted youth advocates and actively engaged key partners like UNICEF and UNFPA in the conversation. Also, a peek at WRA Uganda’s Facebook page and Twitter account shows that there’s been considerable activity and interest from different stakeholders. In fact, the Prime Minister himself acknowledged that he had seen lots of activity on social media about the campaign. The campaign has shown that young people want to be part of the decisions that affect their health.
Support from partners and mainstream media: The Act Now to End Teenage Pregnancy campaign has also received overwhelming support from media houses that have dedicated free space to the issue. In addition, partners like FHI 360 have also provided free space on radio and TV talk shows. This has driven the campaign to greater heights, creating interest from more radio and TV stations offering free airtime.
Working with local celebrities: Celebrated local artists like Bobi Wine and his wife Barbie have also been part of this campaign. They have used their platforms to talk about the need to end teenage pregnancy through a multi-sectoral approach.
Messages, videos, songs and drama: Several IEC materials have been developed about the campaign. Videos have been produced, a song has been composed and drama and skits preformed with messages targeting different stakeholders to end teenage pregnancy.
Please follow @WRAUganda to learn more about their ongoing campaign to End Teenage Pregnancy in Uganda.
