To deal with the rampant cases of teenage pregnancy in Gulu district, about 15 trained peer leaders, mental mothers and role models have received modern bicycles to help mobilise teenagers together.

Santa Odwar, Principal Assistant Secretary (PAS) for Gulu district, advised all the beneficiaries to improve time management in mobilisation as they receive modern bicycles.

Odwar further called for good maintenance of the bicycles and promised that the district council leaders would keep monitoring the bicycles to avoid misuse by the beneficiaries.

“Do not sell off the bicycle; let it do the real activities in the community: to fight the early pregnancy of teenage children in Gulu district,” she said.

Odwar added, “Let’s try to change the mindset of uneducated people to understand the dangers of early pregnancy in our community. Help by reaching door-to-door.”

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PAS told the beneficiaries, especially the role models, to “showcase good role models in the community”, further advising them to be professional in their line of work.

Rosemary Oloya is a resident of Bungatira. One of the beneficiaries, Oloya, thanked the district and partner (PACE Uganda) for giving them modern transport.

She asked PACE Uganda provide them with identity cards, certificates and uniforms for easy identification while engaging the community.

“We are doing mobilisation and training children on the dangers of early marriage and to avoid school dropout at an early stage,” she revealed.

“In the field, we are registering many cases of gender-based violence among family [partners], which is the leading cause and fuel to early pregnancy among our children.”

She claimed that music being played at some burial functions is also a factor driving early pregnancy. “… in the middle of the night the style will change among children. We have been trained to tell families to stop music at burial.”

Also read: Lamwo records “28% of teenage pregnancies in 2025”

Latime Charles Job, a resident of Patiko sub-county, noted that for the past years, “we have been battling with a challenge of movement and it was making our work very difficult.”

“With this bicycle, our time management will improve, and our work will be easier. We will improve on the timely delivery of reports,” he added.

Latime advised PACE to improve on how they motivate and facilitate peer leaders. Each quarter, a peer leader gets shs80,000, according to Latime, who said the money delays to be paid.

William Onyai, the district health educator (DHE), said the beneficiaries will be training communities in Omel, Patiko, Unyama and Bungatira sub-counties.

Onyai said a report compiled two years ago indicates that out of 100 pregnant women, 50 are teenagers.

Gulu district, Onyai said, has in the last financial year had 23 per cent of teenage pregnancy, with four sub-counties still doubling their tallies. “This calls for immediate response to address the problem.”

Nassali Prossie, Assistant SRHR officer at PACE Uganda, said, “We are running a three-year project towards breaking the silence and preventing teenage pregnancy in the Acholi sub-region.”

Omoro and Gulu districts are the beneficiaries of the European Union-funded project to address teenage pregnancy.

“We have so far managed to train over 40 professional counsellors, peer leaders, and role models who are men and women in Gulu district, and we have distributed transport to mobilise the target group,” Prossie said.

She urged the beneficiaries to do timely monitoring and follow-up cases, including timely reporting of defilement to the authorities so that the culprits face the law and victims get justice in time.