Grand Mother for Change Project Uganda

The project activities 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 early marriage and the benefits of more education for girls, their voices will be heard. Why We Love This Project We love grandmothers as agents of change. We love the opportunity to empower these elder women to connect three generations to discuss and find indigenous solutions to challenges faced by the young girls and adolescents in the community, which are based on cultural tradition or cultural changes. Empowered by Grand Mother for Change Project’s leadership training sessions that also inform them about the harmful effects of early/forced marriag, grandmothers are able to change harmful behavior and practices in their communities and, in turn, ensure more positive outcomes for adolescent girls. In the next quarter we look forward to strengthening the knowledge and confidence of community leaders and groups to prevent and solve problems on their own specifically child & forced marriages. We intend to reach 646 grandmother leaders, 250 community leaders, 2,135 mothers, 3,000 young girls and 856 young boys 158 community members, including grandmothers, mothers, teachers, community and religious leaders and young girls and boys participated in 5 Intergenerational Forums. Your support makes these types of pivots possible in our work, and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.