For girls in Uganda, education is a life-saver
“I have witnessed firsthand the impact and heavy price girls have had to pay because they lacked access to education opportunities such as earning lower wages, illiteracy, early pregnancies and continuous poverty.“ (photo courtesy of Joan Kembabazi)
Joan writes about the how the loss of her childhood best friend to an early marriage prompted her to start an organisation that protects Ugandan girls and ensure they are able to pursue and education and achieve their dreams.
I lost my childhood best friend, Gufasha, to child marriage at the age of 13. She was denied a right to go further with her education because her family believed she had gone far enough with school and was ready for marriage.
In 2016, I founded the Gufasha Girls Foundation in memory of her to advocate for girls’ education and an end to child marriage. Gufasha Girls Foundation works with grassroots communities in Uganda to champion girls’ rights, education and empowerment through community awareness and sensitization initiatives such as community dialogues, engaging traditional, cultural and religious leaders, educating girls and parents about girls' rights, training and empowering educators to promote gender transformative education.
“Girls deserve to realize their fullest potential, follow their dreams and become change makers, philanthropists and leaders of tomorrow. ”
This helps to dismantle barriers and stereotypes surrounding girls' education while providing safe spaces to girls, training educators to promote gender equality in classrooms and safe learning environments — running campaigns both online and off to raise awareness about the importance of girls’ education, providing education sponsorships to girls, training girls to advocate for their own rights in their communities.
I know a 15-year-old girl who has never set foot in the classroom. She has been denied a fundamental right and I imagine how her future – and the future of her children – will be affected. I have witnessed firsthand the impact and heavy price girls have had to pay because they lacked access to education opportunities such as earning lower wages, illiteracy, early pregnancies and continuous poverty.
Girls deserve to realize their fullest potential, follow their dreams and become change makers, philanthropists and leaders of tomorrow. However, so many girls are being held back by various social and economic barriers from acquiring good quality education to enable them to achieve their dreams. According to UNESCO, 129 million girls globally are out of school of which 50 million girls are in sub-Saharan Africa.
There are specific financial, social and cultural and environmental factors that contribute to Ugandan girls being out of school.
Even though the gender gap in education has narrowed worldwide, this is not the case in Uganda. A 2019 report by the United Nations Girls’ Education Initiative states that more than 700,000 girls in Uganda between the age of 6 and 12 have never attended school, around half of girls between the ages of 15 and 24 are illiterate and four in five girls don’t attend school.
Poverty-stricken families in Uganda are unable to afford the costs associated with sending their children to school, such as school fees. Even in areas where there is free education and parents don’t have to pay, it is always costly for them to cover other costs such as scholastic materials, uniforms and at the same time supporting household needs.
“Our governments need to put girls at the heart of this issue and prioritize funding girls’ education to provide free opportunities that help girls, especially — the most marginalized — get a quality education. ”
Social and cultural norms such as traditional gender roles and child marriage limit girls from accessing education too. The belief that girls and women belong to the home — taking care of the household chores — contributes to the low number of girls acquiring an education.
Climate disasters such as floods and droughts that hit most Ugandan communities likely contribute to high rates of girls dropping out of school. In times of drought, girls walk long distances and spend much time collecting water which causes them to miss school or reach school late and tired.
Unfriendly school environments that give room to violence and discrimination make schools unsafe for girls to learn. The lack of knowledge and awareness within teaching practices to identify and tackle discriminatory gender norms, barriers and inequalities also hinders girls from staying in school and completing their education. Girls are also likely to miss school during menstruation, partly due to a lack of washrooms and toilets, but also as a result of stigma.
The world has what it takes to break the barriers that limit girls from acquiring quality education.
Funders and donor organizations should support grassroots initiatives and campaigns that focus on creating awareness and shifting mindsets in communities to promote girls’ education.
Our governments need to put girls at the heart of this issue and prioritize funding girls’ education to provide free opportunities that help girls, especially — the most marginalized — get a quality education. Funding and supporting gender-transformative systems will make education more inclusive and equitable and promote safer learning environments for all girls.
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