Women and Girl Child Empowerment
SDG 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girlsThe Challenges
Realization of Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR) of youth and adolescent especially girls remain a challenge to East African countries which constitute of young populations. Girls are vulnerable to harmful practices such as forced, child and early marriages and teenage pregnancies, unsafe abortion, Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), beading among the Samburu, sexual violence, malnutrition and reproductive tract infections including Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) as well as HIV and AIDS and those caused by poor menstrual hygiene. Though East African Countries have been signatory and made commitments to several international and regional human rights treaties and declarations such as ministerial Commitment on Comprehensive Sexuality Education and SRH Services for Adolescents and Young People in Eastern and Southern Africa (ESA, 2013, Uganda & Kenya), and national policies and Acts such as Sexual Offences Act (Kenya &Uganda in Bill form), Children’s Act, Counter Trafficking in Persons Act and Prohibition of FGM Act (Kenya & Uganda). These remain largely unenforced.
Our Involvement
We have rolled up a campaign against early marriage and teenage pregnancies with signs of having greater impact in making girls center of social transformation, to enhance girl’s leadership, engaging paired up parents to engage fellow parents and mobilizing communities to join the campaign against early marriage and teenage pregnancies in Uganda. To this, we have and are still empowering the voices of the primary target groups, built their capacities and have directly engaged them in taking lead in the activities of challenging negative social norms, attitude and behaviors aimed at ending early marriage and teenage pregnancies. The campaign “I Stand Up Against Early Marriage” targets girls aged 13 to 24 years both in-school and out of school, apparently within Buliisa, Kikuube and Hoima districts in the Albertine oil region; it is from this bottom-up approach that our national, regional and international advocacy is informed.
Simplified Information materials on ending early marriage and teenage pregnancies
We conduct in-school girls sensitizations activities in Ngwedo secondary, Ngwedo primary, Avogera primary in Ngwedo sub-county and Kyangwali secondary, Butoole primary, Kasonga primary for Kyangwali sub-county, and out of school sensitization activities to communities adjacent to these schools involving 762 girls and 529 boys totaling to 1291 participants both in school and out of school.
We are conducting out of school sensitization meetings involving girls and boys from villages of Kibambura, Ngwedo, Uduku II, Muvule, Avogera, Agigo, Kamandidi and Kilyango within Ngwedo sub-county and for Kyangwali sub-county participants from village of Butoole, Rwengabi, Mburara, Nyakatehe, Katikara, Kyebitaka, Ngogoli, Haruubali, Nyamyehebo, Kituti, Nyabisojo and Rwenyawawa. During these sensitization meetings girls themselves identify Girl Leaders and Ambassadors of Change (GLACs) comprising of a team of girls and boys to team up with CESCRA, paired parents and committed local leaders and teachers to engage communities in championing the Campaign Against early marriage & teenage pregnancies.
We organize radio talk shows; the topics of discussion included early and forced marriages and teenage pregnancies within the region of operation.
Join Us in Making a Difference
Support CESCRA’s mission to empower grassroots women and girls. Your involvement can help create a more equitable and just society. Together, we can drive transformative change.