Africa-Press – Uganda. Girl children from seven districts of Eastern Uganda have been selected to benefit from a women empowerment programme dubbed She Leads, where they will be groomed to take up political and other offices that are male-dominated.
The objective of the programme is to have the girl-child included in decision making at all levels in a bid to empower them and take up political and other offices.
The empowerment of the girl children will be run under the “She Leads” programme for the next five years between 2021 and 2025.
The country has adopted a gender-responsive legal and policy environment aimed at reducing gender inequalities in the wake of an unfavourable environment for women that are being discriminated against by society.
The benefiting girls will be from the districts of Moroto, Napak, Kampala, Iganga, Kamuli, Bugiri and Buyende.
The Programme is being funded by the Dutch Embassy.
The Country Manager, Terre Des Homes Netherlands Uganda, Mr James Yesiga observed the need for girl-child involvement in the decision making of the country.
“ There is a need to strengthen the leadership and meaningful participation of girls and young women in all decision making processes through having a supportive, gender and youth responsive enabling policy and legal environment,” he said.
Mr Yesiga was speaking at the launch of the She Leads programme in Kampala on Wednesday.
The She Leads Programme comes in at a time when Uganda is making strides in advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment in decision making as an essential component of human development, basic human rights and a critical precondition for achieving sustainable development goals.
Child rights organizations including; Terre des Hommes Netherlands, FEMNET and Plan International are at the forefront of empowering the said girl children.
Girl empowerment will be done by strengthening areas of their leadership and meaningful participation in all decision-making processes.
This will be done by having a supportive, gender and youth responsive enabling policy and legal environment, promotion of the positive portrayal of girls and young in the media.
According to the Global Gender Gap 2016, Uganda ranks 61 out of 144 countries in the gender equality gap between women and men across four key areas; health, education, economy and politics, hence the need to bridge the gap.
UTILITY
Ways through which the girl child will is going to be empowered
-Strengthen the leadership and meaningful participation of girls and young women in all decision-making processes through having a supportive, gender and youth responsive enabling policy and legal environment.
-Promotion of the Positive portrayal of girls and young in the media to enhance visibility and representation of GYW in leadership roles and community decision-making.
-Meaningful inclusion of girls and young with disabilities decision making processes
-Collective responsibility to create awareness on the rights of girls and young women to participate in the decision-making process as a way of promoting sustainability as well as building a generation of transformative female leaders.
