Train 50 women teachers in Uganda to educate 1000s

GWI was delighted to be able to visit Uganda and meet the five student teachers in person at Makerere University. The meeting with GWI staff member Amy was organised by Professor Alice Kagoda, the local project co-ordinator, and Marjorie, the girls' mentor. Academic staff at the School of Education in Makerere were introduced as well as members of the GWI affiliate association in Uganda, the Uganda Association of University Women (UAUW). 

It was wonderful to talk to the girls and hear in more detail their backgrounds and motivation to become qualified secondary teachers. All five girls are from large families in Buyende, a region of Uganda largely devoted to subsistence farming. For all of their parents, it was a struggle to send ther children to school, since education in Uganda involves costs that are challenging for many families to meet. As a result, the opportunity to go to university is one that all of them wished for but had little hope of achieving.

The project is now sponsoring five student girls to train as secondary teachers, two are now in their second year and three in their first year. All of the girls are keen to contribute to their community once qualified. For Hasifa, she sees the unique position of being a women teacher as one that can interact with and positively influence many community members to keep their girl children at school. For Jane, she saw herself as being a future role model to set a positive example of a salaried, independent women contributing socially. Winfred looks forward to being able to raise the academic standard of her community in Buyende. All five girls are strong advocates for girls' education in Uganda, which is supported by the project's regular community engagement activities, conducted by UAUW.  Read more about the individual girls and the Teachers for Rural Futures project here.

All five young women are committed to their studies and to furthering the outreach and quality of education for both girls and boys in their district. GWI is extremely proud of them. With your support, these girls can continue to grow and achieve progress on the right to quality education for girls and women. Individual donations provide funding for tuition and examinations, university accommodation, books, transport to and from home, living expenses and community engagement.

Thanks to your continued support, more qualified women teachers means 1000s more girls in rural communities can go to school. On #GivingTuesday, 29 November 2016, there is a fantastic opportunity to have your donations matched by 50% byGlobalGiving. The 2016 #GivingTuesday campaign will begin November 29th, 2016 at 00:00:01 EST and end at 23:59:59 EST on November 29th, 2016.

Don't miss this fantastic opportunity to donate to this project at this time!