SUMMARY
Asiimwe, a 16-year-old girl from Bubukwanga Sub County in Bundibugyo District, Uganda was recently admitted to Bubukwanga Health Centre III. She was very pale, felt dizzy and had lower abdominal pain. Upon examination, it was discovered that she was pregnant and had recently induced an abortion using unidentified over-the-counter medication. Luckily, she had come to the hospital in time and therefore her life was saved. Asiimwe shared her aspirations of becoming a doctor but felt overwhelmed by embarrassment from her peers and strict parents. Her mother was counselled on supporting her daughter although she feared her husband's reaction. Asiimwe's story is not isolated, she is the fifth of nine children with her two older sisters also having been forced to abandon their education due to early pregnancies.As a practicing student, I was struck by the number of young mothers some as young as 19 with multiple children. Many of these young mothers drop out of school or enter early marriages to avoid judgment from their peers. A local health worker in charge of the facility explained that factors like poverty, hunger, and ignorance have contributed to the high rate of teenage pregnancies in the region. Bubukwanga Sub County also hosts a transit refugee camp, yet there is still lack of ample research and intervention on teenage pregnancy within this community as the community members don't see it as a serious problem.
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