FAWE Tackles Education Barriers for Girls in Busoga with New Project

The Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE) Uganda is stepping up efforts to ensure girls in the Busoga region, specifically Buyende and Kaliro districts, can access and complete their education. They have introduced the Addressing Barriers to Education Empowerment (ABEE) Project and the FAWE Uganda Echidna Giving Project, aiming to dismantle obstacles such as teenage pregnancies, early marriages, and child labor.

These initiatives focus on empowering girls and creating sustainable educational opportunities. Joseph Adiama, FAWE Uganda Programme Manager, and Aida Mutesasira, HR/Administration Manager, highlighted the partnership with Echidna Giving, a family charity supporting girls’ education following the success of the SHARE Project. The goal is to not only help girls secure scholarships but, more importantly, to ensure every child enrolls, stays in school, and graduates.

The ABEE project will employ a multi-pronged approach, including community learning hubs, skill-building for agency, effective parenting strategies, Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs), transforming social norms, and institutional retention. Collins Ogara, who presented the project overview, emphasized that these strategies will combat stigma, offer safe reporting and mentorship channels, and engage community leaders to dismantle norms that perpetuate child labor and early pregnancies.

Local leaders have welcomed the intervention. Margaret Mpatogera, Buyende District Assistant Chief Administrative Officer, praised FAWE for its timely support, acknowledging the persistent challenges faced by the girl child in the district. She noted that many girls drop out before completing primary education due to socio-economic factors.

Buyende District LCV Chairperson Sharif Mangaraine, represented by his Secretary for Finance and Administration Jacob Namukobe, stressed the importance of education as a foundational pillar for the future. He pointed to alarming statistics, including high dropout rates, teenage pregnancies, and child labor, urging collective action. The district has pledged to spearhead efforts to reintegrate out-of-school children through formal education or skills training and strengthen protection pathways for vulnerable children.

FAWE Uganda aims to collaborate closely with communities and local leaders to address deep-rooted social norms and significantly improve girls’ retention rates in schools across Buyende and Kaliro districts.

Read more at: https://nilepost.co.ug/news/360445/fawe-moves-to-address-barriers-keeping-girls-out-of-school-in-busoga