The project aims at addressing the socio - economic status of the girl child in the sugarcane growing communities. Sugarcane growing, being the main economic activity in Busoga sub region with eleven sugar plants (between small scale millers and big manufactures, almost one for every district, the sub region is the largest producer of sugar in Uganda with 80% of household land in Jinja, Luuka, Mayuge districts under sugarcane cultivation and 80% of the employees in this industry being children. Busoga sub - region is ranked with the highest number of children between the age of 6 and 13 in employment.
To exacerbate the problem, it has come along with it high dropout rates in both UPE and USE, child marriage with its other attendant problems as 45% of the children aged 10 and 14 years are engaged in sugarcane growing and attending school at the same time, accounting for the corresponding high levels of school absenteeism and/or dropout in these sugarcane growing areas where Busedde, Buyengo, Budondo, and Butagaya sub counties are the most affected communities in Jinja District in Eastern Uganda.
The planned centre for girls' education seeks to address the barriers to girls' education contributing to the high dropout incidences coupled with low enrollments. The centre will act as a base for mobilizing and advocating for minimization and or elimination of child labour, child marriages highlighting associated health problems and costs to the community. The focus will be in the sugarcane growing areas which have seen an increase in the vice.
Resource Centre
The resource centre aims at increasing access to information in various areas especially regarding the possibility and opportunity to address other community aspects highlighted in the evaluation document.
Objectives
- To fill the information vacuums available in regards to child laws and rights, women’s rights human rights, health, education and other related issues especially new interventions to issues emerging out of all.
- To offer access to reading material about Health and other community development concerns e.g. World Health Organization, UNICEF, UNFPA, UNAIDS etc.
- To offer access to the Internet surfing for the local communities, partners, churches, organizations and general information the public is and will be seeking.
- To develop/compile/translate and print materials developed for information dissemination.
We accept cash and non cash donations inform of computers, laptops, photocopiers, printing machines, books
TVET Centre
As girls in Busoga engage in sex early, with rampant teenage pregnancies (30%), early marriages of about 52% and therefore a high school dropout rate of the girl child as compared to other regions in Uganda, the Training Vocational Education and Training (TVET) aims at addressing these challenges through an array of initiatives.
Objectives
- Skilling in tailoring, computer skills, making re-usable sanitary towels, crafts, pottery, catering, and hair dressing for self-employment.
- Training and nurturing girls and women into small scale entrepreneurs.
- To avail new employment opportunities to the surrounding areas.
- Empower girls and women to acquire life skills (problem solving, critical thinking, effective communication skills, decision making, inter personal relationship skills, copying with stress and emotions, empathy, training in leadership skills)
- Identify, develop and promote talent.