Abstract

Women in rural Uganda commonly face challenges with

regard to their health and ability to provide economic support
for themselves and their families. These challenges arise
from socio-cultural factors including early marriage, high
fertility rate, low educational attainment, and high prevalence
of diseases such as HIV/AIDS and malaria, which occur in
the broader context of poverty, traditional gender roles, and
gender inequality. This qualitative study used a thematic
analysis of interview data to describe womens perspectives
on family planning, child-rearing challenges, hopes for their
children, and current and desired skills. The study sample
included 13 women aged 20 62 from a rural village in
south central Uganda who have access to a Ugandan NGO
dedicated to providing education to children, basic health
care, and promoting womens self-sufficiency. Themes in the
data included women raising multiple children (i.e., their own
as well as orphans and grandchildren), inadequate
resources to support all of their childrens basic needs (i.e.,
school fees, food, clothing, and medical care), desire for
their children to attain higher education and professional jobs
(i.e., teacher, nurse, doctor, politician), and desire to attain
advanced skills and access to resources (i.e., business
skills, loans, and land to operate small businesses). Most
women were using modern birth control methods (primarily
injectables) though some had stopped using contraceptives
due to health complications or misconceptions. Education
from women health care providers is recommended due to
gender-based cultural norms. Findings are applicable to
health care workers, community developers, and womens
development workers in Uganda.