VOICES WILL BE HEARD
– Bonita Murungi

If there was ever a time for youth to step up and speak on the issues that matter in society, the time is now. And so, it doesn’t come as a surprise when children teenagers or even young adults are getting even more involved in how these issues are addressed. Whether at the front line or behind the scenes, their voices will be heard.

It is for this reason precisely that I find myself yearning to know more about how volunteering can open more windows of opportunities than people would think otherwise. After the effects of COVID-19, Uganda faced a significant increase in teenage pregnancies due to the lockdown that ceased the operation of schools around the country.

With one of the highest teenage pregnancy rates in Sub-Saharan Africa, Uganda has 25% of girls within the country who have become young mothers at such a tender age. However, the start of becoming a teenage mother does not mean the end of one’s opportunities nor that life cannot improve for whomever is in this situation.

Raising Teenager’s vision is to look at empowering teenage girls and teenage mothers to stay in school and providing skills where money can be earned to support their different lives. This summer, as I reflected on the issue I wanted to tackle for my Political Engagement Activity, I understood that the prevalence of teenage pregnancies especially after COVID 19 impacted thousands of lives in ways some might not have imagined.

So, I decided to take the initiative to learn more about the challenges that different girls are facing beyond just the statistics and put in the effort to understand and support the cause; to promote the education of the girl child, to help end child marriages disregarding sociocultural or economic factors and support teenage mothers as they continue education.

But, how do we break cemented beliefs and values that threaten the development of girls in this country? When are beliefs and values a threat to girls’ development? Where can we start? Who do we talk to? As they say, Rome was not built in a day, but the first lesson I have learned in this pursuit of knowledge and understanding is that opening conversation is an important foundation to start with as we break these cemented beliefs.

I hope that as my internship goes on, I will be able to learn from those around me as we go into communities and talk to young girls and boys but most importantly make sure that our actions speak even louder than our words. I firmly believe that voices will be heard.