Ntoroko, one of the poorest districts located in the Western Region of Uganda has been prone to early child marriage and lack of education which lead to a high poverty cycle in Uganda. Cultural beliefs such as girls being viewed as an income are forcing teenage girls out of school in the Ntoroko district, which has caused a high rate of school dropouts. It’s common among the Batuku and Bakonzo, the two major tribes in the district, to marry off girls at an early age between 13-16 years. Some of the girls are also denied education and forced to work as maids. Girls dropping out of school are common in Karugutu, Rwebisengo, and Kanara sub-counties.
Last year alone, fifty girls aged between 12-16 years abandoned school and were married off by their parents. Some students that perform poorly in school are not given another chance, but forced out of school by their parents and are given employment to work as maids. At Rwebisengo Secondary School, seventeen girls in senior one and two dropped out of school in the past six months. Although culture plays a big role, early marriages are also caused by extreme poverty that makes parents marry off their daughters in exchange for bride price. When a girl gets pregnant before marriage, she is seen as a disgrace to her family and society, and the only solution is for her to leave school and get married.