Child marriages still remains a challenge in Kasese District

Child marriage is a global problem affecting millions of girls across the world. It is considered a human rights violation because it deprives those involved of education and health services, the chance to learn skills and develop their personalities and leaves them vulnerable. It is an appalling violation of human rights and robs girls of their education, health and long-term prospects.

Uganda is one of the countries with the highest early and forced marriage. 10% of girls are married off before the age of 15 and 40% of girls re married off before their 18th birth day (UNICEF 2011).

Even when Marriage remains one of the celebrated moments and a key millstone among families across Rwenzori region. Sadly, there is no more cause of celebration today because of the high cases of child marriages in the region.

In 2014, Kasese District hit the headlines when a 12-year-old girl was “officially” married off.  Currently, several villages in Kasese are dotted with child mothers.

Sowed, Kitanywa, the Kasese District Senior Probation and Social Welfare Officer, then said the district was grappling with high school dropout rates. He said most girls are persuaded to drop out of school by men into marriage according to Uganda radio network (URN Jan 2020).

Recent statistics in Kasese indicate that for every 94% girl children who attend primary one, only 32% manage to reach primary seven. Three-quarters of the children who start primary education never make it to secondary level.

Kitanywa blames this trend on violence against children in school, parental neglect and lack of cooperation among the community to have guided this trend.

The narrative seems not to have changed either. This was revealed during a radio talk show conducted by GEDA Uganda this week about the causes, dangers and effects of early marriages. It was highlighted by the Officer in Charge (OC) child and family protection unit Kasese that poverty, domestic violence, wars or displacement, peer pressure, negative cultural beliefs, lack of essential needs like sanitary pads are the most causes of early marriages. Adverse effects of this problem has led to child mothers, poverty to their young families, stunted brain development and growth of children produced since they do not have enough and the rightful nutritious foods to feed their children on, family breakages, high infant mortality rate and other health challenges like fistula since these girls bones are not strong enough to push babies. According to statistics from Kasese Police since March 2020, 30 children have since been reported married, 24 defiled and for Isule health center in Maliba sub county, from December 2019 to March 2020 50 girls were attending antenatal care. The new vision of 13th March 2020, Government is worried that about 10 millon children may not go back to school after lockdown both boys and girls. Currently kasese has Maliba, Munkunyu, Mpondwe-Lhubiriha town council, Karambi, Hima, Karusandara, Nyakatonzi and Kilembe sub-counties leading in early child marriages.

The magnitude of the problem is big and needs efforts of every duty bearer, parents, civil society organizations, Government to curb this. GEDA Uganda is adding her small contribution to end this vice by mass awareness through radio talk shows, drama series, engaging girls and women in the make of reusable sanitary pads for sustainability purposes and avoiding temptations from the girls and women with bad coping up mechanisms.

It is our responsibility to end child marriages now. It’s time up. Together we can defeat this vice.

GEDA Uganda toll free line 0800100029 is still available to report such cases just in case you have no access to police and other responsible leaders.

Periods neither stop in pandemics nor disasters

GEDA–Uganda takes Action with internally Displaced women and girls in Kasese- Uganda.

Every year on May 28, Menstrual Hygiene Day (MH Day) is celebrated across the world.  It’s time for Action was the theme for the 2020 MH Day in Uganda. Cognizant of the theme GEDA-Uganda has continued with post MH Day activities amongst the internally displaced persons(IDPs) in Kasese District in   Western Uganda.

GEDA- Uganda has so far trained 65 women and girls of reproductive age in making of reusable pads in Crimson PS camp as a more sustainable approach for menstrual hygiene management for the displaced persons. GEDA will train a total 150 women and girls as TOTs in the camps to train other women and girls in IDPs. The menstrual hygiene day of 2020 was commemorated amidst a double tragedy of Covid-19 pandemic and floods disaster in Kasese District that saw a total of about 500 households displaced and currently living in about 24 IDPs in Kasese District.

There is a huge need for sanitary pads for women and girls of reproductive age in these camps that calls for attention from Government, CSOs, Development partners and well-wishers.

In her remarks Kabugho Alice one of the trainees thanked GEDA Uganda for having trained them to make reusable sanitary pads “I thank GEDA Uganda for having trained us in the use of sanitary pads”

GEDA Staff instructing and helping women to cut the cloth for the exercise

Similarly Kibikwamu Alice appreciated GEDA Uganda “Am grateful to GEDA for the training offered to us that in such a single a day we’re able to learn all this, continue training even in other bigger things, GOD bless you”

The unmet needs for sanitary pads if not given attention may lead to bad coping mechanisms for women and girls like using any available materials as sanitary pads that may pose a health threat.

During the training, GEDA Uganda created awareness on menstrual hygiene management, sexual and reproductive health management.

Trainees posing with their finished products after the training. Extreme right is GEDA’s Margret Kidima

In addition GEDA Uganda is also creating awareness on Gender Based Violence (GBV) and Violence Against Children (VAC) prevention and response using awareness sessions in camps, radio talk shows, radio drama series on Guide radio-Kasese. GEDA Uganda is using it’s toll free line (0800100029) for response and referral for GBV, VAC and reproductive health.

Voices from trainees.

 

TOGETHER WE CAN STEP WITH REFUGEES

On this 20th day of June 2020, Gender- Environment and Development Action Uganda (GEDA-Uganda) would like to join the rest of the World to commemorate the World Refugee Day under the theme “Every Action counts,everyone can make a difference”. According to UNHCR  (May 2020) Uganda is hosting  1,424,373 refugees  51.7% females, 58.8% below 18 years and 2.5% elderly 60+ years. This World refugee day comes amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and as the world and cities went into lockdown to stop the spread of coronavirus, the mass efforts to save lives have put one vulnerable group more at risk. Development and humanitarian programs that support women, girls and other vulnerable groups have been disrupted, although their needs may have amplified.

Refugees in Uganda have since April 2020 received 30% cut in food assistance due to limited funding to the great lakes region. This is likely to force households to engage in negative coping mechanisms, such as consuming less food. Where women eat last and least, this may lead to additional Maternal, Infant and child malnutrition amongst the refugees.

In addition, Women and girls’ needs for protection services—including gender-based violence (GBV) and intimate partner violence (IPV) may have increased due to the COVID-19 lock down yet GBV is still rampant amongst refugees with women, girls and PSNs being most at risk, pressure for households to meet the basic needs during and post COVID-19 lock period with no or limited alternative livelihood options is likely to escalate Gender-Based Violence. A protection needs assessment conducted by APEAL consortium in January 2020 revealed that vulnerable refugees rely on negative coping mechanisms with most reported in Kyaka II refugee settlement in Uganda being exploitative casual labour reported by 63.5% of respondents; sale of food and NFI assistance (57.9%), Begging (56.7%), Child labour (49%) and Seek out for intimate/love relationship (24%).

Therefore, GEDA- Uganda would like to appeal to individuals, Organisations, UN agencies and the international community to Step up action for the plight of the refugees amidst the glaring effects of COVID-19 pandemic.  Together we can make a difference in the lives of millions of refugees world over.

 

GEDA Uganda continues to fulfill her mandate

Since the May 2020 floods in Kasese District that saw major rivers burst their banks destroying property worth millions of shillings, several displaced persons have remained in camps that were established at different schools premises by the District Authorities.

Several households in Maliba, Kilembe, Kitholhu, Kyarumba sub counties, Nyamwamba Division and other areas of the District were most affected as they saw their houses, property, being washed away by the rivers that broke their banks. Since then most of these households have been surviving on donations from different compassionate organisations that have managed to deliver food stuffs, tauplines, clothings among others.

The floods came amidst the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown in the country causing a double tragedy to the people of Kasese District.

During this period, there has also been a big cry and call especially among the women and girls of reproductive age that have found it hard accessing sanitary pads during their menstrual period times. This is one of the health concerns across all the IDP camps in the District.

Gender-Environment and Development Action yesterday afternoon joined the cause and delivered some boxes of sanitary pads to the IDPs in Kanyangeya parish. Gender sensitivity is one of our core areas of intervention. Speaking to the leaders and citizens in the IDP Margret Kidima the Director humanitarian, protection and emergency GEDA Uganda consoled the floods victims and gave them a ray of hope that GEDA Uganda was going to start training the women in the making of re-usable sanitary pads for sustainability purposes. The training is going to target 30 women and young girls who will be given start up kits after the training to be TOTs to the rest of the women in the IDP camp.

Margret Handing over the sanitary pads to the women in Kanyangeya.

The women in the Kanyangeya IDP showed their appreciation to GEDA Uganda for the provision of sanitary pads and promised to cooperate during the trainings in the make of reusable sanitary pads.

As Gender-Environment and Development Action we continue to preach the gospel of gender equity and equality and GBV prevention and promise to continue working with different stakeholders to combat gender based violence and Violence Against Children (VAC).

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