Getting to the Heart of the Matter

During our time here in Uganda we have had the opportunity to conduct research into the difficulties and troubles that girls and women out here encounter in their day-to-day lives, along with the mass responsibilities that they take on in their roles as mothers, home-carers and wives.

The gender gap that exists the world over is very stark in Uganda. Girls receive less education, are much more likely to be subject to abuse, and the majority still occupy a traditional subservient role in marriages and families. Supporting girls and women is deeply connected to working to put a permanent end to children of both genders living on the streets. Many of the children in the S.A.L.V.E. programme and many more that we encounter on the streets have been abandoned by their mothers who were forced into early marriage, sexually and/or physically abused and uneducated about family planning. By supporting girls' and women's rights and education we can reduce the number of unwanted children given birth to. As well as, very importantly, promoting equality and raising the standard of living for everybody.

One of the most common and successful ways that female rights are being promoted in Uganda are through local women's groups that meet regularly to address the issues of most concern to women in the area; be it family planning, literacy, child care, dealing with abuse and domestic violence, or politics.

This week Assy and Laura were able to visit a local women's group in Masese 3 to see how it was run, and to learn more from the women involved about how they feel they benefit from the group. It was a great experience, allowing us to see how empowered the women had become from the group and has shown us the possibilities that these sorts of groups bring to the women who attend them. We hope that as more of these groups emerge, they will begin to spell a brighter future for the next generation, and we will ultimately see fewer and fewer children taking to the streets.