Giving Compass' Take:

• Ritah Namwiza shares the importance of providing education and support around reproduction for teens globally. 

• How can funders help to bridge the cultural divides around reproduction that prevent teens from getting the information and support they need? 

• Learn more about barriers to reproductive rights globally. 

Not that long ago, Maria Nalubega, 16, suspected she was pregnant.

The teen from Mbuya-Kinawataka, a slum in Uganda, had not been using contraception with her boyfriend of two years. She feared what her neighbors might think if they saw her buying condoms at the local shop. She was terrified to ask for advice from her single mother, who expected to her to abstain from sex until marriage.

In Uganda, Nalubega's circumstances are not unusual. It's hard for young people to get information about sex and pregnancy. So they're vulnerable to sexually transmitted infections and unintended pregnancies.

In fact, one in four girls between the ages of 15 to 19 in Uganda has given birth or is carrying her first child, according to the country's 2016 Demographic and Health Survey.

Over a decade later, the subject of sex is still taboo in many homes across Uganda. Young people today have better ways to get the information themselves, from TV or the internet (although the internet is full of misinformation as well). But information alone doesn't curb high-risk behavior, like not using condoms, that can result in teen pregnancies.

Health care workers need to have an open mind when they talk to pregnant teens. Instead of asking young women why they were having sex in the first place, they should ask: How can I support you to have a healthy pregnancy? How can we help prevent another pregnancy until your baby is at least two years old? On an emotional level, this can make it easier for women to talk to health care workers if they feel they're not being judged.

Read the full article about educating teens by Ritah Namwiza at NPR.