Where Do Men Disappear To? Teenage Mothers in Ntungamo Left to Cope Alone

For many teenage girls who become pregnant, pregnancy is only the beginning of a much bigger struggle. In Ntungamo District, several teenage mothers say the men responsible disappear after learning of the pregnancies, leaving them to face antenatal care, childbirth and parenthood largely on their own.

Health workers say many adolescent mothers receive little or no support from their partners, worsening the financial, emotional and health challenges they face.

Sixteen-year-old Annette (not her real name), a Primary Six dropout who now works in a salon, is eight months pregnant. She says the father of her unborn child disappeared after she told him about the pregnancy.

With limited family support, Annette has been unable to get an ultrasound scan despite being advised to undergo one during antenatal care because she cannot afford the cost.

“I am looking for money to go for the scan, but I have failed to get it,” she said.

Her experience illustrates a struggle that often continues long after a teenage pregnancy is reported. For some girls, the men who father their children disappear, leaving them to bear the consequences with little support.

“When I told him that I was pregnant, he disappeared. Since then, I have been staying with my mother,” Annette said.

Another teenager, 17-year-old Loy, says she was chased away from home by her father after becoming pregnant. The father of her unborn child also disappeared.

“He switched off his phone. When you call, it tells you that the number is not on the network,” she said.

Loy now works in a salon to earn a small income as she prepares for childbirth. She says her father has made it clear that she cannot return home with the baby unless he changes his position.

“My father said that after I give birth, I can either go back home or go to the baby’s father, but he does not want to see the baby. Whoever wishes to help me should help me get more training in a salon after giving birth,” she said.

At the same health facility, a 19-year-old mother from Nyabubare was in the maternity ward after delivering her second child. Loy left school in Primary Six and says financial difficulties contributed to her decision to marry at 16.

“I stopped in Primary Six because I lacked money and got married. At first, life hits differently, but later it becomes normal,” she said.

Loy's experience highlights how poverty and leaving school early can narrow the choices available to adolescent girls, increasing their vulnerability to early marriage and repeated pregnancies while making a return to education more difficult.

At Ntungamo Health Centre IV, 37 teenage mothers gave birth in September 2026 alone, according to midwife Flavia Niwamanya. She said many adolescent mothers arrive at the facility with little or no support from their partners.

“Partner support is limited. It is not there. There are a few adolescents who come with their partners,” Niwamanya said.

The lack of support can compound the difficulties teenage mothers face throughout pregnancy and after delivery. During antenatal visits, some adolescents feel isolated among older mothers, while limited control over sexual decisions can leave them vulnerable to unintended pregnancies.

Niwamanya said some teenage mothers also experience serious complications during childbirth, including severe perineal tears that can have lasting consequences.

“At times, they get third-degree tears, and at other times, fourth-degree tears, and it affects them. They get fistulas,” she said.

Obstetric fistula is a serious childbirth injury that can cause continuous leakage of urine or stool. Severe tears and other complications require timely medical attention and follow-up care.

For teenage mothers, the challenges often continue after discharge from hospital. Limited follow-up, financial hardship, inadequate family support and the absence of their children's fathers can make recovery and caring for newborns more difficult.

Their experiences raise a pressing question: when teenage girls become pregnant, why do some of the men responsible disappear, and who supports the young mothers left behind?