Support the Women of Kampala, Uganda

1. Background and Introduction                                          

Advocates for Equal Justice Initiative (ADVEJI), with the generous support from our GlobalGiving partners and Goodwill Ambassador, Andrea Peters, organized a training workshop party for 50 women in Green Valley zone, Kamwokya, Kampala district. The event took place on 29th, May 2022 and was hosted at Kampala City Council Authority P/S Hall.

The training is part of the Kampala Slum Women economic empowerment project that ADVEJI through the fundraising drive that was initiated by Andrea Peters in 2021. The success of the initial training coupled with limited resources prompted Andrea Peters who generously pledged to train an additional 50 women in Kampala slums in liquid soap making. The activity was selected by the women leaders in a meeting with ADVEJI staff. Liquid soap making was selected because the training is brief, the process of making the soap is not costly yet liquid soap has a readily available market in Uganda. Hence, training in liquid soap making was identified as one of the ways of empowering poor and vulnerable mothers, widows and teenage mothers in Kampala slums through skills training.

Economic empowerment of slum women is part of ADVEJI’s broader objective of preventing Gender Based Violence (GBV) and Violence against Children (VAC) against women and children due to poverty and vulnerability in poor households in Uganda. This project was started following a study that showed that women were trapped in ‘cycle of violence’ due to poverty since the perpetrators of violence were also providers at household/family level.

2. Specific Objectives of the Activity Include;

• To strengthen the social and economic livelihoods of women in the slum communities through life transforming skills development.
• To address social and economic issues promoting GBV and VAC in slum communities.
• To build strong collaborative networks of women that can support each other
• To support women in slums to meet, network and celebrate together

 3. Achievements

Planned Activities

Accomplishments

Immediate result

Beneficiaries reached

Women

Men

Girls

Boys

Training women in Liquid Soap Making.

53 women benefited from the training

2 women groups pooled resources to start a company for liquid soap making

39

N/A

14

N/A

Organising a post-training Party for 100 slum women

ADVEJI organized a cake and lunch celebration for 100 women trained with the initial support of ADVEJI GlobalGiving support and also with the generous support of our Goodwill Ambassador, Andrea Peters.

5 women networks agreed to form a slum coalition to benefit from ADVEJI programs

89

1

14

5

Legal (social) support to 2 women

ADVEJI selected 2 slum women and offered to provide free legal services for application of maintenance orders in courts of law

2 Applications filed in the family court, Makyinde

2

N/A

N/A

N/A

Economic support & Mentorship session for women by Mama Asante Foundation

ADVEJI Partner, Mama Asante foundation pledged 2 tailoring machines and other equipment to one of the women’s group in the slum

The foundation CEO also mentored women in leadership, business management and skilling as a way of ending the cycle of poverty

89

N/A

14

N/A

4. Challenges and Opportunities.

• There is wide spread poverty and hopelessness among women and children in the slums
• Mistrust among women in the slums due to unfulfilled pledges by other NGOs and social support groups. This means that one must work hard to win over the confidence of these women before you can work together.
• However, most slum women are organized under different groups and are willing to work with credible organizations that can offer them tangible support

5. Recommendations:

-        There is need to continuously monitor the project beneficiaries to monitor and track progress and evaluate any challenges.

-        Due to depressing poverty, most of the skilled trainees lack the funds and necessary raw material to actively engage in income generating activities. Any future funding opportunities should target these trainees rather than training further women and girls.

-        There is need to engage husbands/men in the project communities to sensitize them on the importance of supporting their wives/women. Some women reported that their husbands attempted to stop them from the training and party. ADVEJI will conduct a series of meeting

-        Organise women ( with no groups) into various saving SACCOs

6. Planned Activities for next quarter

Activities for the Next Quarter

Timeline

1.Handing over sanitary towels to the Trainee girls

23^rd July 2022

2. 2 Sensitization meetings with slum men and local leaders

August 2022

3. Formation of women SACCOs

October 2022

4. 3 Evaluation meetings with project beneficiaries

November 2022

• Quarterly Report (Jan-May22) (DOCX)