KOICA boosts Luuka teenage mothers with UGX 68M skilling kits

Luuka, Uganda: Teenage mothers and young women in Luuka District have received startup tools worth UGX 68.2 million from the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) in a major skilling initiative aimed at fighting teenage pregnancy and early marriages.

According to district health records, 2,383 teenage mothers attended antenatal clinics in Luuka in the last year, with 29 of them aged between 12 and 15 years. The growing numbers pose both a social and economic burden on families and communities.

Isaac Waboda, the Bulongo Sub-county Community Development Officer, described the situation as a “time bomb,” noting that many of the young mothers are primary school dropouts struggling as single mothers.

“When development partners like KOICA step in, it goes a long way in securing the future of these innocent children while boosting the self-esteem and productivity of their mothers,” Waboda said during the handover of startup kits at Bulongo Sub-county.

He further cautioned against blaming or stigmatizing teenage mothers, instead calling for broader community engagement and parental involvement to drive social norm change.

Vincent Njeho, the Program Officer for the KOICA project, encouraged the beneficiaries to embrace the opportunity, build confidence, and live responsibly. “KOICA is helping you recover, restore hope, and become productive enough to support your children and better yourselves,” he said.

On behalf of the beneficiaries, Sanyu Rahma Nampiina applauded KOICA and Plan International for restoring dignity and hope among young mothers. “KOICA is our parent. It understood our pain and became part of our struggle to regain our identities and esteem,” she said.

The beneficiaries, drawn from Bukanga, Bulongo, Bukooma, and Bugaya sub-counties, received tailoring, knitting, and sewing kits to boost their household incomes.