Recent data reveals that in Uganda, 40% of girls are married before the age of 18, and only 53% of girls aged 6-12 complete primary education. This happens amidst a multiplicity of interventions including the National Strategy to End Child Marriage and Teenage Pregnancy, which means more needs to be done to close the gap.
Uganda Martyrs’ University, has embarked on a journey to mobilize up to 50 million shillings to assist girls to comfortably study. The funds are meant to ensure that more girl have access to essential scholastic materials and sanitary towels, empowering young women to stay in school and achieve their dreams.
The Initiative, which seeks to support five girls' schools with at least 10 million shillings each, has been spearheaded by a community run themed “Run to Keep Her in School”, and has attracted hundreds of participants ranging from students, faculty, alumni, community members, and well-wishers.
Speaking shortly after the marathon, Patrick Kyamanywa, the UMU vice chancellor, said this initiative is part of university’s efforts to give back to the community, especially at this time when the 30th graduation is approaching, and also the 60th anniversary of the canonization of the holly Uganda martyrs.
According to Kyamanywa, the tendency of neglecting girls from learning opportunities, has persisted irrespective of the many interventions by numerous players including the government. He adds that those who have had a chance to be exposed to education, encounter many social challenges, and this is what the fundraising is out to address.
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According to the Vice Chancellor, supporting the girl child is support to the nation, since they are future women, onto whose shoulders families will sit, and hence the nation. “The girl child is a future woman, who is buttress that keeps family and community together,” he says adding that a community without empowered women isa miserable one.
He further mentions that the university decided to join other forces working towards a better studying environment for a girl child, through its third pillar vision, which compels them to promote community engagement. “The benefiting schools, will be selected based on the most needy, after scrutiny with community leaders.”
On behalf of the sponsors, Evans Nakhokho, the Head of Business Development at Centenary bank, says that organization and companies, are part of the community, and it is up on them to contribute to society’s well being of the various communities from where they operate. “Companies and organizations don’t exist in isolation, we exist in communities, so we are expected to serve, and participate in initiatives that are supposed to support the communities,” he said.
This initiative, comes at a time when the world has just celebrated the international day of the girl child, which was themed “Girls' Vision for the Future”, which was aimed at highlighting the fact that girls around the world continue to face extraordinary challenges to realizing their education, their physical and mental wellbeing, and the protection they need to live a life without violence.
Recent data reveals that in Uganda, 40% of girls are married before the age of 18, and only 53% of girls aged 6-12 complete primary education. Yet this happens amidst a multiplicity of interventions including National Strategy to End Child Marriage and Teenage Pregnancy, meaning more needs to be done to close the gap.
Dennis Kasule Ssebunya
Freelancer