ENOUGH for my son

From malnourished pregnant teenager to skilled working mum with healthy son

In Uganda, 19-year-old Aloza runs a tailoring business. She is also a new mum. With her business, she earns enough to provide for herself and her baby, while still managing to save a little.

But it wasn’t always like this. When Aloza became pregnant at 17, it felt like her world was ending.

It’s been more than four years since the pandemic upended the world, but for many living in Uganda, life has not gone back to normal. Uganda had some of the world’s longest pandemic-induced school closures. This has been directly linked to a sharp increase in teenage pregnancy, resulting in a large number of children who are having children. 

The many children who are no longer in school are not receiving the meal they used to receive as part of the school feeding programme. This is exacerbating a worsening hunger crisis that is already being propelled by rising costs and poor rainfall. Caught in the middle, these children are struggling to catch a break.

School, for many girls in Uganda, is more than just an education. It provides a layer of protection and nutrition that they often don’t get at home. Through school feeding programmes, children are guaranteed to get one nutritious meal a day, which is a beacon of hope in the face of the growing hunger crisis, amid rising costs.

With no support, and the stigma of pregnancy following her, Aloza was forced to drop out of school. She was isolated, without any work experience, finding it harder and harder to find enough to eat. When food prices shot up again, she was unable to feed herself. She quickly became malnourished, at a time when her body needed nutrients the most. 

Just in time, Aloza met a World Vision health worker who showed her how to access the vital prenatal services she needed to monitor both her and her unborn baby’s health. 

Creating a hunger-free future for her child

Once healthy, Aloza enrolled in a women’s savings group set up by World Vision, where she learned tailoring and financial literacy skills. From there she was able to set up her own business and save for the arrival of her new baby. These few steps were enough to change the trajectory of Aloza and her baby’s life. It helped Aloza make provision for her future, and the future of the next generation. 

“I thank World Vision for this job and who I am today. I was yearning to have a skill and they helped me to get one.”

The benefits of the savings group weren’t just financial either. This group of women became a support and safe space for Aloza to express herself. At meetings they would discuss issues that affect women, like gender-based violence and child protection. 

“I learnt that every child, even if they are not your own, deserves proper treatment. And that all children are valued and should be treated humanely,” she says.

For Aloza, the new journey of motherhood became less daunting with a support network of courageous women standing behind her.

Fast forward a year, and Aloza is a proud mum to a baby boy, Jerem, who is healthy and thriving despite the growing hunger crisis that surrounds him. 

“I want to say thank you for being there for us . . . It has changed my life in many ways. Now, I can afford the basics in life. I can buy clothes for my son and take care of myself too. My life is so much better because I have a reliable source of income.

“All the girls that I was trained with are doing well and are so proud of their acquired skill. I am also training three other girls and they are progressing well.

“In 10 years, I want to buy my own plot and construct a very big house, employ people, and continue training others. That’s my dream.”

Thanks to supporters like you, Aloza has been able to break the cycle of poverty for good and create a hunger-free future for her son. 

Skills for life and hope for the future

For many other families, the situation in Uganda is bleak. Conflict, climate change, Covid, and rising costs are interacting to create new – and worsen existing – hunger hotspots, reversing the gains families have made to escape poverty. The longest drought in over 40 years is forecast to continue across East Africa. Food prices are rising at an alarming level around the world.

Uganda had one of the longest school shutdowns in the world because of the Covid pandemic, affecting more than 10 million learners for nearly two years. The result of this was that many were unable to complete their education, reducing their chances of sustainable future employment. Added to that, Uganda has the highest rate of teenage pregnancy and child marriage in East Africa, which is currently 25%.

However, thanks to the generosity of supporters like you, many children and their families now have the means to break the hunger cycle and have hope for a more stable future. 

In 2021, World Vision Uganda joined with other agencies to instigate projects to train teenage mothers in tailoring. The projects have since grown and are training many more teenage mothers and out-of-school youth in vocational skills such as tailoring, bakery, motorcycle/motor vehicle mechanics, bricklaying, electrics, and hairdressing. Those who missed out on completing their education have the opportunity to train and gain skills that will ensure that they have the means to support themselves and their families in the future.

In addition to this, the generosity of supporters is enabling the set-up of women’s savings groups, which are empowering women and transforming many households and communities. During their meetings, as well as saving, women discuss issues of child protection, gender equality, and domestic violence – and these are dramatically improving. Girls are encouraged to stay in school, and women are financially empowered and can access financial services without securities. 

Together, we’re making a difference.

For children living in the most dangerous places, hunger is a near-constant threat. Together, we’re meeting their immediate needs, supporting their emotional recovery, and providing the tools and training their families need to build a better life.