From 17th to 19th June 2025, the airwaves of Radio Lira 95.3 FM and Voice of the Gospel 104.1 FM carried more than just sound—they carried a call to action for communities in Lira and beyond. Through a powerful three-day radio awareness campaign, WLEDE convened religious leaders, cultural custodians, health experts, and community influencers to discuss one of the most pressing issues of our time: how to harmonize culture, religion, and maternal health to ensure a safe and empowered future for girls and women.

The live talk shows, which reached thousands across Lango sub-region, provided a platform to tackle teenage pregnancy, girl-child education, and the persistent challenges women face accessing maternal health services.

A Conversation Rooted in Values

In a region where both religion and culture deeply shape beliefs and behavior, these engagements offered a fresh lens through which communities could view gender and health issues. Clerics and cultural leaders emphasized that protecting adolescent girls, educating them, and ensuring safe motherhood are not just modern ideas—they are values rooted in Lango customs and faith teachings.

“Our culture values life, and our religion teaches protection of the vulnerable,” said one cultural leader on Radio Lira. “There is no contradiction in ensuring a girl stays in school, delays marriage, and accesses maternal health—this is community responsibility.”

Addressing Teenage Pregnancy and School Dropouts

The programs boldly addressed the silent crisis of teenage pregnancies that often go unreported and untreated, leading to school dropouts, unsafe abortions, and maternal deaths. Panelists shared local statistics and heartbreaking stories, but also solutions, including:

• Strengthening school-community-parent dialogues
• Engaging boys and men in preventing early pregnancies
• Creating safe spaces for adolescent girls to speak out

A New Role for Faith and Cultural Leaders

What made the broadcasts especially impactful was the unity between religious and traditional leaders, standing together in one voice. They acknowledged the need to move from rhetoric to action, calling upon churches, mosques, clans, and sub-county leaders to:

• Preach and speak openly about maternal health and education
• Condemn early marriage and transactional relationships
• Mobilize resources to support local girls staying in school

Community Voices, Real Impact

Listeners called in, sent messages, and shared powerful testimonies—grandmothers who had lost daughters in childbirth, students pledging to stay in school, and parents recommitting to protecting their children.

One female caller summarized it best:

“If our culture and religion stand for life, then let us not bury our daughters young. Let us help them grow, learn, and lead.”

WLEDE’s Commitment

Through initiatives like these, WLEDE continues to lead from the grassroots, ensuring that advocacy is community-led, faith-sensitive, and culturally aware. By bringing conversations to platforms people trust—radio, family, and faith—WLEDE is not just informing, but transforming.

This is not the end, but the beginning of a louder, more united voice for gender justice in northern Uganda.

#LeaveNoGirlBehind | #CultureForChange | #FaithInAction | #ProtectHerFuture

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