The teenage mothers were retooled in digital skills, including social media marketing via platforms such as WhatsApp, Instagram, and TikTok, enabling them to promote their goods and services online.
![]()
Some of the teenage mothers attending one of the MTN led ICT skilling clinics at the Busoga kingdom headquarters.
Over 120 teenage mothers from different chiefdoms across Busoga Kingdom have received life-changing ICT and vocational skills, thanks to a partnership between MTN Uganda employees and the Busoga Kingdom.
The initiative, conducted at the kingdom’s headquarters, aims to empower young mothers with practical tools to rebuild their lives and sustain their families. The teenage mothers were retooled in digital skills, including social media marketing via platforms such as WhatsApp, Instagram, and TikTok, enabling them to promote their goods and services online.
According to Julie Nsubuga, Managing Director of MTN’s Bayobab, the intervention seeks to restore dignity to teenage mothers and complement efforts by the Kyabazinga of Busoga to end teenage pregnancies by keeping girls in school. “We recognize the high rate of teenage pregnancies in Busoga, and this initiative is our way of ensuring that these young girls can live with dignity even after early childbirth,” Nsubuga said.
She added that MTN Uganda has donated vocational training equipment, including 10 desktop computers, 10 sewing machines, clothing materials, chairs, tables, and agricultural supplies, to enhance hands-on learning for the girls. The support has inspired hope among many teenage mothers, some of whom shared how the training has renewed their outlook on life.
Sarah Kantono, 17, who became a mother at 13 and had a second child at 15, said the opportunity was a turning point. “My dreams were shattered, but this free skilling center gives me hope. I plan to enroll for a six-month hairdressing course and support my daughters to have a better future,” she said.
Rosette Namulondo, also 17, who gave birth while in Senior One, said she endured stigmatization but now sees a second chance. “I will enroll for a tailoring course and use the online marketing skills to improve my financial independence,” Namulondo noted.
Yudaya Babirye, the Minister for Kyabazinga Affairs, hailed the initiative as instrumental in promoting sustainable development in Busoga. “This support empowers girls to redefine their futures and rise above the stigma associated with early motherhood. Through continued collaboration with MTN Uganda and other partners, we can mitigate the effects of teenage pregnancy and work towards its eradication,” Babirye said.
The empowerment program is part of broader efforts by the Kyabazinga and development partners to uplift girl child education and economic empowerment across the region.
