Retain Orphan Girl Children in Schools in Uganda

Summary

This project was designed to train 49 widows in commercial vegetable growing to enhance their sustainable income to pay school meals and scholastic materials for 1200 school going orphan girl children between 12-18years. The 49 widows will be provided with modern knowledge and skills in vegetable growing, vegetable seeds, pesticides and spry pumps to start projects. This the first report of retain orphan girl children in budaka distract Eastern Uganda and it is located on global giving website. The report indicates the progress of the project for the last quarter with financial and moral support from the community.

Current status

The following activities were implemented in the last quarter:

1. Mobilized and oriented local leaders, religious, opinion leaders, beneficiaries and local government technocrats on the purpose, objectives and activities of the project
2. Mobilized and registered so far 13 widows from widow led households
3. Registered 23 orphan girl children from widow led households
4. Trained 12 widows in horticulture modern growing practices
5. Established nursery beds of cabbage, tomatoes , eggplants and onion
6. Established a half acre of cabbage, tomatoes , eggplants and onion each as demonstration gardens
7. Provided seeds of cabbage, tomatoes , eggplants and onion to 13 widows to establish gardens
8. provided pesticides and fertilizers to13 widows
9. procured a spray pump for the 13 widows

Challenges

1. The organization is faced with limited funding to support widows to undergo commercial production of vegetables in order to maximize production and sustain the buyers demand
2. Some widows lack land and therefore, the organization hire land for them and they practice collective production.

Recommendation

All development partners are requested to help organization to fundraise resources to facilitate the implementation of this project in order to empower widow led households support their orphan girl children in schools as this is the only way they could help these children live sustainable livelihood and be meaningful citizen.

Testimony from the beneficiary

This is testimony from Scovia the wife of late James of Kachomo Sub County in Budaka district.   James died and left Scovia with three orphans of which two are girls and one a boy. The boy by the name John was taken over and supported by the uncle and he is in senior two while the sisters (Jane and Alice) were left in the hands of the mother (widow) such that they are brought up and married off to raise family income. Scovia had taken the idea and the two girls (orphans) had dropped out of school in the first term 2015. When Scovia heard of this project, she contacted us for advice on her daughters. The project officer advised her to take her orphan girl children to any Universal Primary school and she did it. Scovia and her two orphan girl children were registered by the organization as beneficiaries of this project and provided with seeds of cabbages, tomatoes, onions and eggplants for production and sell to raise income to support her daughters at school. Currently Scovia is managing gardens of cabbages, tomatoes, onions and eggplants and she is soon harvesting. Scovia vows that after sale of her produce she will support her orphan girl children until they qualify. she further vowed to take vegetable growing project as the major source of income

This is a true story and explains how rural orphan girls are forced for early marriages in Uganda despite their academic performance in class. Indeed in Uganda, particularly in budaka district most likely in the rural settings, when a man dies girl children are left under the control of their mother to educate them domestic work preparing them for marriage and the boy is taken and educated by the uncle preparing him to come and continue the family development.

Links:

• http://www.kagumudevelopment.org