In Uganda it is tough to be a girl

With the fall out of the Covid-19 Pandemic, the global economic situation, and the physical issues with climate change, girls in Uganda are facing increased challenges, especially those without parents to guide and protect them.

Our team in Uganda have reported an increase in childhood marriages, sexual violence, school dropout rates for girls and teenage pregnancies in the community of Ngora. It is with these observations in mind, two of our social workers, Christine and Doreen, have proposed a new programme for Edith’s Hope.

Empowering Girls Project

Its Goal is to increase awareness and inclusion of vulnerable girls in efforts to foster development in the local community. 

Its Vision is to see girls at the centre of their own development, in a way that they are protagonists of change they want in their communities.

This project seeks to equip young girls with the knowledge of how to protect themselves and build their own future. Our social workers have identified that simply putting a plaster on short term problems is not enough. There is a desperate need to take it one step further, inspiring and teaching girls so the future generation of women in Uganda is equipped to further their own interests, rather than being a victim of consequences outside of their control.

This project would allow them to take control of their own future with two branches of knowledge:

1) Their personal situation

- Supplying girls with knowledge on reproductive health and contraceptives

- Educating girls on their rights within their community and where to seek help if those rights are infringed

- Providing girls with sanitary products and information on how to best handle their period

-  Delivering communications to equip girls with techniques on how to best protect themselves from gender based violence and discriminatory social norms / practices especially child marriage, trafficking and labour.

2) Their career progression

- Giving girls relevant practical skills training 

- Enabling girls to be self-reliant and increasing their chances to access job opportunities

- Improving girls' livelihood conditions by being able to meet their basic needs

This information will be delivered through home based one to one counselling, quarterly workshops and yearly retreats, with guest speakers including community relevant role models and area specific specialists assisting our two social workers, Doreen and Christine.

This project has been proposed by Doreen and Christine, two incredibly strong, well informed young women, with excellent social standing in the community of Ngora. Both Doreen and Christine were once orphaned young girls who, with help from Edith’s Hope, navigated their situations, going from strength to strength, training at university as social workers, and returning to Ngora to give back to their community.

As women who have grown up within the community they serve, there is no one who understands the struggles of these young girls better than them. They are informed, determined and proactive in their support of young girls.

If you would like to support this project, you can...

Donate Here

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