At the End Teenage Pregnancy HackLab awards in Kampala, UNFPA Uganda Deputy Representative Daniel Alemu warned that if nothing changes, half of Uganda’s teenage girls could be at risk of pregnancy every year.

The numbers

  • According to the 2016 Uganda Demographic and Health Survey, 58.2% of women aged 20 to 49 started childbearing as teenagers.
  • Teenage mothers account for about 18% of annual births in Uganda, and nearly half of those pregnancies were unwanted.
  • The teenage pregnancy rate stalled at around 25% for 15 years, against a national target of 15% by 2020.
  • During the COVID-19 pandemic, 354,736 teenage pregnancies were registered in 2020 and 196,499 in the first half of 2021, with Wakiso and Kampala recording the highest numbers.

Because these figures come from antenatal records, and not every pregnant girl attends antenatal care, the true numbers are likely higher. Many of these girls also drop out of school, and UNFPA highlighted the rise of HIV among adolescent girls and young women as a related concern.

Bulamu Bridge AI takes first place

The HackLab, run by UNFPA with OutBox Uganda and funding from the Embassy of Sweden, received 127 innovations from across the country. Bulamu Bridge AI took first position, followed by Ndaba Innovation Hub, with Her Worth Foundation and Disability Innovations Uganda tied for third. Each team was awarded Shs37 million to scale its solution.

For us, the award is a commitment: to keep building confidential, youth-friendly tools that help girls understand their bodies and reach skilled care before a crisis.