As the world marked the International Day of the Girl Child, the team from High Sound for Children stepped into the homes of young mothers whose dreams of childhood were cut short.
Led by the organization’s Executive Director, Hadijah Mwanje, the team conducted counselling and guidance sessions with child mothers, girls barely out of their teens, now forced into the adult responsibilities of motherhood in Kawempe II Parish- Kampala District.
In one of the visits, the team met Sarah (not her real name), a 22-year-old mother with two children who recently fled her husband’s home after enduring repeated episodes of physical violence.
“He doesn’t allow me to work, and when he finds me watching TV, he switches it off,” she says softly, her eyes fixed on the ground. “He wants me to sit home, do housework, and look after the children.”
She recently found a job as a mobile money attendant, a small step toward reclaiming her independence.
A few kilometres away lives Carol (also a pseudonym), just 22, and already caring for two children on her own. Her husband, who has no stable income, can barely provide, and her parents chased her from home after she became pregnant. When the High Sound for Children team arrived at her home at around 2 p.m., she had no plan for what to serve her children for lunch.
For many of these young mothers, poverty and abandonment are daily realities. The organization’s Community Liaison Officer, Babirye Shelina, says their stories mirror those of countless girls in similar circumstances.
“Many child mothers are trapped in cycles of poverty and abuse,” Babirye explains. “We need concerted efforts from families, communities, and government, to support these girls to live decent, dignified lives.”
Through initiatives like counselling, mentorship, and economic empowerment under programs such as the Gold Star Skilling Program, High Sound for Children continues to stand by these girls, reminding them that even after hardship, hope is still possible.
