By the Numbers

Interestingly enough, my first Sunday here (last week), the sermon topic at church was singleness. Apparently, Pastor Andrew is doing a series on “The Family”, including marrieds, singles, children and family, which Sarah told me after I laughed about it to her. He even had all the single people in the congregation stand up! Ha ha!

This Sunday, at Kampala Baptist Church (pictured here), the sermon topic was children. Pastor Andrew had some interesting statistics that I’d like to share:

• 46% of births in Uganda are unplanned
• 1 in 4 girls have sex by age 18; 50% of those have a baby by the age 20
• 57% of Ugandans are under the age of 24 (lots of kids!!)
• Uganda ranks 3^rd in the world in fertility! 

Single mothers may think they only way out of their situation is to get a man to provide. Too many times, that “solution” results in another baby and the man walking away from his responsibilities. And this could happen again and again and again.

And then you see children having children, which often results in grandparents raising their grandchildren. This can also be the result of HIV killing the parents (mostly due to sexual practices). In any case, the children are the victims and often go on to have children of their own when they are still children. A vicious cycle, indeed.

With so many children, and parents often working or gone altogether, they are left to fend for themselves. And these are the dangers they face: child sacrifice, child molestation/rape, child abuse, child neglect and child trafficking (among others).

Sometimes it’s easy to forget that children in the world have such horrors thrust upon them. But forgetting or staying ignorant doesn’t make it any less true. I often think, what can I do … but I know of one thing that can move mountains. I get on my knees. Join me won’t you?

Let’s remember … children are a gift from God.