Educate 150 Orphans and vulnerable girls in Uganda

         Education for 150 Orphans and Vulnerable Girls project in Uganda  

                                   received $1,033 out of proposed $5,000, till date.

Education is at the core for uplifting and empowering women and girls in achieving their potential. Covid-19 has severely impacted and continues to have devastating consequences on the lives of the girl child. The struggle to return girls back to school and retain them in formal education is what every concerned person and institution is struggling with. While parents struggle to adapt to the educational and learning changes during covid-19, another phase of Lock-down has been directed by the President of Uganda for 42 days. This is due to the increasing number of Covid-19 cases as the country registers 40,734 reported cases, 15,147 recovered and 334 deaths.

FOWAC through support from its donors driven byGlobalGiving has secured support to 39 girls out of 150 proposed targets to acquire basic scholastic needs for them to return to school. The 39 identified girls were provided with important requirements for their educational needs like uniforms, books, school dues, laundry and hygiene and sanitation equipment.

FOWAC appreciates its generous donors and GlobalGiving who dedicated the International Women's Week to make a difference in the lives of 39 Orphans and Vulnerable girls in the three schools in Kitgum- (wigweng, Akobi and gweng pa mon primary schools).

Challenges ahead for this accomplishment:

As the country enters into a second lock down phase for another 42 days, schools are suspended due to the increasing number of Covid-19 cases, there is a growing concern that girls who survived being drugged into unwanted marriages during lock-down can be vulnerable and easily lured this time. The need is for the government to devise effective means to keep the girls busy in alternative educational learning during the lock-down.

Solution:

FOWAC plans to discuss with the district authorities to allow the girls to safely visit the counselling and skill centers established by FOWAC in the four locations, where they can continue to be provided with guidance and counselling, skills training and possibly have values learning for girls in candidate classes.

Current organisation gaps:

FOWAC has established resource centers, strategically located in most hard-to-reach communities. The major challenge is that the centers are not equipped with digital gadgets to facilitate online learning which requires a television screen, laptops, internet and an instructor or a person responsible for providing supervision and guidance.

USOB' poverty level study 7^th survey 2020 shows that technology to promote information sharing is generally low in Uganda and significantly worse in the poor regions of northern Uganda. Statistic reveals that usage of: Radios=32%, Television=19%, Computers = 2%. This makes it difficult for FOWAC to coordinate information that would reach and help the neediest communities in this unprecedented Covid -19 time.

Appeal:

FOWAC urgent appeal is for funding to these centres to acquire 6 television screens, 6 laptops, internet connectivity and facilitate 6 instructors for the 6 locations. This will create a huge contribution to the most vulnerable, disadvantaged, and at-risk girls in the community to keep engaged in learning programs.

Short term impact of this support to orphans and vulnerable girls:

In early April 2021 when schools officially opened, 39 girls were identified from 3 hard to reach schools and were provided with the basic requirements to be in school.

Parents and guardians who perceive education with no value were also talked to on a case-by-case.

Through psycho-social support, we witnessed the willingness among girls to be in school and committed to reject ideas that keep them home and sell them for cheap to men.