FEMNET launches girl empowerment & skills dev’t project for Uganda, Kenya 

A 3-year project girl empowerment and skills development program dubbed; Influencing Inclusive Access to Girls Education (IIAGE) project has been launched in Uganda and Kenya.

IIAGE was launched at Fairway Hotel in Kampala by the African Women’s Development and Communication Network (FEMNET) with support from Echidna Giving Foundation.

The rationale is to empower girls and young women representatives from six Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) centers within Kampala district so as to influence policy and gender-responsive budgeting that will enhance inclusive access to TVET services by all girls in the two countries. 

The TVET centers; Nakawa Vocational Training College, Ntinda Vocational Training Institute, Lugogo Vocational Training Institute, Kabalagala One Stop Youth Center, Kawempe Youth Development Association, and Katwe Skills Development Association within Kampala district will be oriented and their capacities enhanced in life skills, lobby and advocacy and transformative movement building. 

Muthoki Nzioka, the girls and young women policy and program assistant at FEMNET said of the over 50 girls who attended the meeting, seven girls were selected from each institution in Kampala. The meeting was meant to identify gaps that exist in the current policies and find interventions in the budgeting processes that directly impact girls’ livelihoods.

“We are looking forward to reviewing the policies and having the girls put the inputs that are in their interest in the policies like gender-specific needs, menstrual health, young girls who are mothers at their early age and they are in these institutions, and what’s like for them when they go to school with their children. Are there facilities that will enable them to be mothers and still gain their skills in those institutions,” said Nzioka.

Furthermore, Nzioka also added saying that they’re seeking to have discussions with government officials to see if there are possible inputs they have in policies and they can be supported by the government.

Nzioka also added that the boy child is already included in all the work they have been doing before but now they want to work with gender issues and women have been marginalised for a long time. 

“When you look at the numbers and which numbers don’t lie, we have got more boys in TVETs than girls. And why is it like that and what are those issues that are costing girls not to complete their education in TVETs institutions? And so we want to bring girls to power and also make sure they are getting what is rightful theirs in terms of education,” adds Nzioka.

The commissioner in charge of children’s affairs at the ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development Mondo Kyateeka urged young girls to be strong enough and face all the challenges in life, and solve them, just like their male counterparts.

According to Mondo, skills development especially among the youth is becoming an important factor for government, and says that they believe that every person should have at least one practical skill he or she can do.

“In the new curriculum, we are introducing things that will enable the girls and boys at school to get skills at school so that even if one has dropped out of school, there is something they can use with hands. So both at primary and secondary level, there are practical skills that have been introduced at school,” said Mondo.

Mondo urged Uganda to adopt a hands-on skills program like Germany did when it introduced practical skills right from the nursery level where children are able to make their own doors.

“Women can be plumbers, electricians, so nobody should tell you that you are venturing where women should not go. You should be able to do anything a man can do. I will be deeply disappointed if any of you dropped out of school sighting one reason or the other,” he added.

Mondo said that the housing sector is one of the fastest-growing sectors in the country, which translates to jobs in areas of plumbing, electricity connection, welding, furniture, and other related fields.

Earlier this year while discussing issues affecting their access to TVET, the girls revealed that they have a lot of challenges in many ways. They noted that they are faced with discrimination and limited access to TVET opportunities due to deeply ingrained gender stereotypes and social norms.

They also added saying that TVET institutions in Uganda often lack the necessary infrastructure to support students with disabilities, particularly girls, making it difficult for them to access education and training opportunities.

They asked the government to make intentional efforts toward raising awareness among communities and stakeholders on the importance of TVET education for girls and creating awareness about the opportunities available.

They also called upon the government to make sexual harassment and safeguarding policies mandatory in all TVET institutions and enforce their implementation and popularisation.