The Brave Girls Festival, held in Yumbe District on September 28, 2026, provided a platform for school girls to share their experiences of gender-based violence and child marriage. Ayola Susan, a 16-year-old primary six student at Yumbe Primary School, recounted her emotional ordeal of witnessing and experiencing domestic violence at home. Her parents' separation due to GBV led to her dropping out of school, but with the help of a teacher, Mr. Richard, she was able to continue her education.
The festival, organized by a consortium of organizations under the Protect SRHR Project, including International Rescue Committee, World Vision, Reach A Hand Africa, and Humanity Inclusion, with support from the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, aimed to amplify girls' voices and power. The theme, Amplifying Girls' Voices, Amplifying Girls' Power and Potential, allowed girls to share testimonies on GBV, sexual violence, and other issues affecting their lives. GBV emerged as a major factor affecting the girls' lives.
Kinawa Modest, Protect SRHR Project Coordinator, explained that GBV and other issues affecting girls emerge at the household, community, and institutional levels, necessitating a multi-level approach to address them. The initiative brought together parents, cultural leaders, and young girls to speak out and find solutions. Modest emphasized the importance of addressing these issues at the grassroots level.
Ijosiga Abubakar Muzamul, Senior Assistant Chief Administrative Officer, Yumbe District, highlighted the need for increased funding to enhance awareness and sensitization on Sexual and Reproductive Health issues. The district's allocation of over UGX 72 billion, with over 35 billion for salaries, leaves a limited budget for capital development and software activities, including awareness creation. Muzamul estimated that over UGX 2 billion is needed to streamline awareness creation on these issues.
Hajjat Medina Naham Ojale, Director, Finance and Administration, NRM party, condemned child marriage and emphasized the importance of girl-child education in curbing the vice. She advised stakeholders to join hands to support the education of a girl child, stressing that keeping girls in school is crucial in managing child marriages.
Ms Maturu Irene, a midwife at Health Center III in Yumbe, representing the Assistant District Health Officer, spoke on key drivers of maternal deaths and early marriages in the district. These include delayed decision to seek care, delayed referral, transport, inadequate birth preparedness, teenage pregnancy, non-institutional deliveries, and gaps in adolescent SRH services. She called for improved access to adolescent SRH services and comprehensive sexuality education.
Yumbe District faces a high rate of teenage pregnancies, with numbers peaking significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic, exceeding 7,000 cases recorded over a short multi-month lockdown period. By the 2023/2024 financial year, the figure was estimated at 5,740 cases, according to the district's Health Management Information System (HMIS). The district's health authorities are working to address these issues through improved access to adolescent SRH services and education.
Key points
- The Brave Girls Festival provided a platform for school girls to share their experiences of GBV and child marriage.
- GBV and child marriage are major issues affecting girls in Yumbe District, with teenage pregnancies being a significant concern.
- Stakeholders emphasize the need for increased funding and awareness creation to address GBV and child marriage.
