Grand Mother for Change Project Uganda

The project in recent quarters has focused on grandmothers as the agents of change for villages to address harmful practices and factors that escalate modern-day problems for adolescent girls. Grandmothers are trained and empowered to be the central figure in each village as the catalyst for changing thinking and customs at the village level.

Grandmothers are key to the program because they have respect in their villages, with both the village elders and with the younger women and children. They are the vessels that carry the traditional songs, dances, and stories of the village, and they offer wisdom to the young women who are marrying or having children. They have the respect of their sons who will not refuse them. If grandmother leaders can see the harm of some norms and early marriage and the benefits of more education for girls, their voices will be heard.

The following f four activities were conducted:

• conducted leadership exercises to train grandmother leaders to train other grandmothers. 
• trained grandmother leaders to lead groups and teach other grandmothers to be leaders and advocates for adolescent girls' health and safety issues. 
• assessed the knowledge and attitudes of the participating facilitators, to measure how much the project experience has changed how the grandmothers feel about harmful practices on adolescent girls.

Questions for Discussion

1. What are some of the benefits of using grandmothers as change agents?
2. How does the project take advantage of local culture and customs while at the same time challenging them?
3. How important do you think it is to involve village elders and other influential men in the community in discussions about harmful practices targeted at adolescent girls?

Successes 

• Increased interest on the part of children to stay in school
• Increased confidence of children to speak out in front of the class
• Increased appreciation of local cultural values and traditions on the part of teachers and integration of these values into classroom activities
• Increased motivation to read and increased reading achievement/performance by children.

Voices

“When you’re an older person, you are seen as the last resort if there’s a problem within the community. That’s why, sometimes, women ask us about problems understanding the restless behavior of a daughter, they ask us about arguments between neighbors and problems connected to the health of a pregnant woman and of children.”

“A young woman always needs advice from older women like ourselves. Women still ask the advice of certain grandmothers, even if they’re not leaders, because of their experience. They ask for advice about their health, and that of their children.”