SUPPORTING YOUNG MOTHERS TO ACCESS MATERNAL HEALTH SERVICES; MEET CATHERINE
“The stigma and harsh treatment I faced from health workers during my first pregnancy made me give birth to my second child at home. I never thought I would ever set foot in a health facility again, but now, I feel there’s hope ” Says Hatono Catherine, a 19-year-old mother of two from Busaba sub-county, Butaleja District.”
Catherine’s story relates to many adolescent girls in Butaleja districts where girls as young as 12 years become mothers due to limited access to health services due to lack of knowledge about sexual and reproductive health (SRH), distance to health facilities, and the pervasive stigma surrounding SRH. According to the 2024 Uganda Health Demographic Survey released by UBOS in March 2024, the Bukedi region, which includes Butaleja, has the highest rate of teenage pregnancies standing at 25.1%. Additionally, a report published by the Daily Monitor on March 5, 2021, revealed that 5,200 teenagers in Butaleja had been impregnated of over two years.
“In our community, talking about sexuality education is considered shameful,so we never got the information we needed especially during the puberty stage.”
Her experience highlights the need for SRH awareness and stigma-free conversations in underserved communities to empower girls and prevent teenage pregnancies.
Her experience highlights the need for SRH awareness and stigma-free conversations in underserved communities to empower girls and prevent teenage pregnancies.
Catherine’s transformation began when she attended a Young Mothers’ Forum (YMF) session organized by the Uganda Youth and Adolescents Health Forum (UYAHF) under the Youth Champions Challenging SRH Stigma project. These sessions equipped her with essential
knowledge about personal hygiene, safe motherhood principles, and more. Today, she is a beacon of courage and guidance for young mothers and adolescent girls in her community.
Young Mothers Forums (YMF) is a platform that brings together young mothers, young fathers, pregnant teenage girls, adolescent girls from underserved communities who are at risk of becoming teenage mothers, and adolescents in their diversities to share knowledge, experiences, unlearn, and learn critical SRH issues and principles of safe motherhood and link them to maternal health services at health facilities. The YMF sessions provided a safe space for young mothers to share their health experiences and challenges, including SRH stigma and most notably the unwelcoming attitudes of health workers while they seek services at the health facility.
“Health workers would judge us for getting pregnant at a young age,” Catherine explained. “They wouldn’t even listen to our concerns, which made many of us avoid the health facilities.”
Determined to break this long-standing health service access barrier, Catherine became a bridge between the health workers and the young mothers. She reached out to one of the mid- wives at Busaba Health Center III, Sister Twanza Esther to engage with her on how to support the adolescents so as to easily access SHR services and encourage young mothers to turn up for antenatal care and postnatal care. This meeting cultivated mutual understanding, leading to a commitment from health workers to adopt a youth-friendly approach when dealing with adolescents and young people.
“My discussion with Catherine made me realize that our communication with the young people was creating barriers instead of building trust,” admitted Esther from the facility. “The session helped us see things from the young mothers’ perspective, and we’re now more intentional about being supportive.”
Empowering Peer Support
Catherine has now become a focal peer mother at Busaba Health centre III. She works with the health facility to ensure young mothers receive Adolescent Sexual Reproductive Health services. Additionally, she also holds weekly sessions every Thursday for young mothers and adolescent girls, including those who come for antenatal care at the health facility. These sessions cover topics such as Personal Hygiene, menstruation, Contraception and family planning, Immunization, antenatal care, nutrition, and baby care among others.
“Having someone who understands what we go through makes it easier to seek help, our sessions with the support of the peer mother have helped me attend all my antenatal visits. I now don’t fear health workers, they treat us well” said Mary, a 17-year-old expectant mother adding that “The peer mother listens without judging, and she’s always ready to guide us.”
The weekly sessions have become a safe space where young mothers and adolescent girls feel heard, supported, informed, and encouraged to embrace their health and that of their babies prompting more young mothers to visit the health facility, as health workers report a more positive atmosphere during consultations.
“I wasn’t sure about immunizing my baby, but after Catherine’s session, I took him to the health centre. Now I know it’s the right thing to do,” says Shakira, another young mother.
Catherine’s work has gone beyond just imparting knowledge, it’s breaking the SRH stigma that often surrounds young mothers and adolescent girls in the community. Her efforts have inspired not only young mothers but adolescents to take charge of their health and make informed decisions.
“I’m proud to see the impact these sessions have created,” Catherine says with a smile. “The young mothers are more confident, and they are taking steps to prevent unintended pregnancy, and ensure better health for themselves and their children.”
Through the support of UYAHF and her determination, Catherine has turned her personal growth into a community movement, proving that with the right knowledge and encouragement, young mothers can thrive and inspire others to do the same.