On 26th September, we joined the rest of the world to celebrate World Contraception Day together with Reach A Hand Uganda [RAHU]. We camped at Makerere University’s Mitchell Hall of residence which among student circles is the epicenter of sexual activity that the act is often referred to as ’emilimu gya Mitchell’ which translates to the works of Mitchell [Just to be clear, we are talking about sex].
RAHU with her peer educators were not only giving out free condoms but they went an extra mile, teaching students how to use the condoms and how to use the different family planning pills and medicines. Harriet, an expert from the Makerere University hospital advised young people to always play it safe and to always consult medical personnel whenever they get any problem concerning the genitals.
“Stop getting very modern, doing things of the whites licking diseases,” Harriet said regarding oral sex, “you should also try not to masturbate, it is not only addictive but also spoils the fun for you in the future,” she added.
According to the 2011 Uganda Demographic and Health Survey (DHS), more than four in 10 births are unplanned. Unintended pregnancy is common in Uganda, leading to high levels of unplanned births, unsafe abortion, and maternal injury and most times, death. In 2008, the Ugandan Ministry of Health estimated that unsafe abortion accounted for 26% of the country’s maternal deaths. This is considerably higher than the World Health Organization’s estimate for abortion-related deaths in Eastern Africa which is 18%.
In an expose by Campus Bee, the largest online campus website in Uganda, it was noted that very many students DO NOT use contraception as much as they should. Well as there is a lot of sex, since many students are sexually active, very few students use any form of contraception which has brought about an increase in illegal abortions and unintended/unwanted pregnancy.
“I rarely use condoms, first of all, they are expensive and they disrupt the sweetness that comes with having sex. The whole point of having sex is to enjoy it. So I never use any contraception method,” Nathan a student at Makerere said when asked how often he uses any contraception method, “my pull out game is on fleek,” he added.
Contraceptive use has not risen in the past decade among sexually active unmarried women- 38% were using a modern contraceptive method in 2000, and the same proportion was doing so in 2011, according to an article by Guttmacher Institute.
There are many reasons as to why few people use contraception. The myths, misconceptions and stereotypes surrounding the use of contraception is Uganda are many and very widely taught in schools and Church. The lack of right information among young people is a major problem for instance, many young girls still think and believe the use of pills brings about barrenness. There is a need for young people to get the right information.
BITS OF MANY STORIES! 
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