Adolescent make up almost half of the Uganda’s total population. There’s hardships to life due to poverty, HIV/AIDs, early marriages, teenage pregnancies, GBV, and low participation in secondary education which deter young people from fulfilling their potential

Adolescent girls, in particular face multiple challenges like severely and unevenly risk to HIV infection. A third () of all new HIV infections are contracted by adolescent girls.

Many girls also drop out of school as a result of teenage pregnancies and early marriages accelerated by lack of adequate reproductive health services. 25% of Ugandan teenagers become pregnant by the age of 16. Close to half are married before their 17^th birthday and continue to have babies into their mid-40s. This exposes them to HIV/AIDs, unintended pregnancies and other STIs. This further leads to complicated births and unsafe abortions which after requires emergency care as many teenage mothers do not have access to adequate reproductive health care and many times die or get serious complications while giving birth.

According to WHO, girls aged 15 – 19years are twice more likely to die during pregnancy and child birth compared to women in their 20s, whereas those under 15years are 5 times more likely to die and this is increasing due to structural barriers that are either cultural or religious perpetuated.

As LIHACEI, we are intervening with the following approaches

1. Comprehensive sexuality Education for adolescents in and out of school to equip them with knowledge and capacity to make informed decisions or choices
2. Empowerment to skills
3. Guidance and information about their bodily changes
4. Provision of adolescent and youth friendly services.