Public Health Snapshot

Teen pregnancy remains alarmingly high: 24% of Ugandan girls aged 15–19 have begun childbearing, with rural areas like Busoga seeing even higher rates (UBOS & ICF, 2023). Maternal deaths are declining but still too frequent, with a maternal mortality ratio of 189 per 100,000 live births (UBOS & ICF, 2023).

HIV remains a significant threat. One-third of new HIV infections in Uganda occur among adolescent girls and young women (AGYW), and prevalence is 1.7% among girls aged 15–19 compared to 0.2% among boys (UNAIDS, 2024; Ministry of Health, 2021). Violence compounds these risks—16% of women aged 15–49 have experienced sexual violence, and 11% within the last 12 months (UBOS & ICF, 2023).

Access to family planning is improving, but gaps persist. 38% of currently married women use modern contraceptives, compared to 43% of sexually active unmarried women (UBOS & ICF, 2023).

Micro-Entrepreneurship & Economic Inclusion

Women play a central role in Uganda’s business landscape. One in three businesses is women-owned, yet they capture just 1% of government contracts (World Bank, 2022). Micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) are vital, creating over 50% of formal jobs and sustaining 3.1 million household enterprises—a critical livelihood path for AGYW in Busoga (Uganda MSME Policy Review, 2020).

Climate & Health Pressures in Busoga

Uganda faces increasingly frequent floods and droughts, with the Lake Kyoga basin—which covers districts like Kamuli and Buyende in Busoga—experiencing rising temperatures and heavier rainfall (World Bank Climate Change Knowledge Portal, 2023; Nabugoomu et al., 2022). These shocks undermine agriculture, nutrition, and income opportunities for young women.

Energy poverty deepens the problem. 87% of Uganda’s energy consumption relies on wood and charcoal, yet only 1% of households use clean cooking solutions and 0.5% use LPG (IEA, 2022; Ministry of Energy, 2023). This exposes women and girls to indoor air pollution and forces them to spend hours collecting firewood—time that could be invested in education or enterprise.

What This Means for Busoga’s AGYW

Adolescent girls and young women in Busoga sit at the crossroads of multiple challenges: teen pregnancy, HIV, gender-based violence, climate shocks, and energy poverty. These overlapping vulnerabilities reduce their chances of staying in school, threaten their health, and limit opportunities for entrepreneurship.

But there are solutions. Expanding school-based sexual and reproductive health programs, scaling HIV prevention tailored for AGYW, investing in women-led MSMEs, and promoting clean cooking and climate-smart livelihoods can create a future where Busoga’s young women not only survive but thrive.