Reduction and empowerment of young female dropouts in Soroti District, Uganda

Opdatering februar 2023:

Reduction and empowerment og young female dropouts in Soroti district, Uganda, Phase II

Phase II started 01.12.2021 with extension of both target groups, goals and activities. It has proved very succesful, and 260 girls are now involved in the project. Supported by the local government in one of the sub counties 30 young boys are now among the benificiaries and being are trained as shoe- and sandal makers. An advocacy group consisting of teenage fathers has also been formed.

Long term objective: To build a community that promotes reduction and the soc

io-economic consequences of female school dropout and supports the girls in exploring their full skill potential.

Short term objectives:

To strengthen the capacity of the community advocacy groups established in phase I in order to spearhead advocacy engagement with duty bearers on child rights, gender, as well as conflict management and psycho-social support of young dropout girls in the communities and schools.
To support the socio-economic resilience of young female dropouts through sustained skilling in the necessary and relevant education and vocational skills. Further to form an Association of Teenage Mothers that will serve as a pinnacle that spearheads initiation of strong, independant and self-supporting young female dropouts.

Outputs: The school and community advocacy groups will continue creating awareness of girl child rights and mediate reconciliation between teenage mothers and their parents. Teenage mothers and other dropouts receive psycho-social support and sexual education.Those who want to go back to school are helped to do so (many more schools now allow teenage mothers back), others are trained and equipped with vocational skills.They are supported with a start-up capital, trained in basic financial management and helped to start their own small businesses. The girls are members og a saving association and of Association of Teenage Mothers, which gives them a voice in their local communities. They receive additional training in sustainable agriculture and environmental conservation, and most of the girls from Phase I have started small joint enterprises or are employed and able to provide for themselves and their children.

Partner: The project is implemented by a local NGO, Community Integrated Development Initiatives (CIDI).