Train 50 women teachers in Uganda to educate 1000s

The Graduate Women International Teachers for Rural Futures program continues to advance the status of girls in Uganda through education.  Through GlobalGiving, three girls sponsored by Graduate Women International are entering their final year of the teacher program at Makerere University.  All five girls in the Teachers for Rural Futures program recently studied hard for their end of term exams. Recalling their first days at Makerere University, all of the girls sponsored by GWI send their heartfelt gratitude to all GWI contributors and they continue mentoring the younger girls in the program.  Graduate Women International looks forward to making positive contributions to rural communities in Uganda and beyond with your continued support.

Graduate Women International (GWI) continues the quest to educate 50 women teachers in Uganda through our Teachers for Rural Futures project. The goal is to help these young women complete their tertiary education by paying their full tuition fees and a stipend that assist with living expenses while living far from their homes. Once they complete their studies, as part of the Teachers for Rural Futures program, the girls are engaged to return to their rural villages to perhaps become secondary teachers or school administrators. This creates a virtuous cycle that not only provides as education to these young women from rural Uganda but also creates positive community role models for young girls in their villages to encourage them to remain in school.

GWI currently has five young women benefitting from the support of the project. During this time of the year, they are out on their summer break. Classes will resume in the fall. We remained in contact with them throughout the summer and hope they are enjoying their break. Having a break from classes allows them to return to their villages, where they speak to their communities and share their experience and achievements with their family and friends. By doing this, they become an inspiration for younger girls to continue pursuing their studies. Therefore, they bring about changes in the mentalities and social practices and motivate women and men alike to support and work towards getting more girls to continue studying.

Funding for this project, like any other project, is not an easy task to accomplish. We would like to take this opportunity to thank our United Nations representative in New York, Sophie Turner Zaretsky, for her contribution. For her recent milestone birthday, Sophie decided to receive gifts in an alternative way. Instead of tangible gifts from her friends and family, she has asked them to contribute to the Teachers for Rural Futures program via GlobalGiving. We applaud Sophie for her generous act and hope the donations generated from her birthday gifts will assist us in educating more women in Uganda.

We want to say thank you to our student teachers who continue to defy the odds and succesfully pursue their education. GWI would also like to thank all the donors to our Teachers for Rural Futures GlobalGiving Campaign for their continued support. Thank you for helping us in assisting these young women and the children of their villages in their effort to dismantle the barriers to education they have been challenged with. Our work would not be possible without your help. Please donate today.

To read more about our project, please visit our website at http://www.graduatewomen.org/what-we-do/projects/secondary-school-teachers-for-rural-futures/.

With gratitude,

Stacy Dry Lara

Executive Director

Graduate Women International

Links:

• GWI Teachers for Rural Futures Program