By Audrey Kanyesigye | Country Director
Safe spaces are a keyway of building girls' social assets. Evidence suggests that it provides girls with a social asset. For the last 3 years, Just Like My Child in Uganda has continued to work in close partnerships with 3 other local organizations in the districts of Luwero and Nakaseke to provide over 600 adolescent girls and young women between 10 and 24 years, with a safe entry point of life saving services, a place to access information, to engage with each other while building important connections, solidarity and support through the Adolescent Girls Power Program supported by Children's Rights and Violence Prevention Fund.
During this reporting period over vulnerable 650 adolescent girls and young women embarked on skills training in making liquid soap, tailoring, hairdressing, baking and making craft slippers. These among others were skills identified by girls as safe ways to earn to support their families. Their trainers were identified by the girls too as people that were safe and with the heart for co-investing in their learning. In under 6 months, those that have mastered a few skills are already selling their products to earn a little that they reinvest to learn more and perfect the skill.
“I have never attended school before. My parents did not take me to start school since childhood. I missed it so much. However, I am happy for our safe space in Kimotozi for it’s a school to me. My parents always encourage each day I have sessions at the safe space to attend and learn. They say it’s the school that I missed. I have learnt the soft skilling of decision making, my sexual and reproductive health and how to make money through tailoring and making craft slippers” says a 19-year-old member of Classic Safe Space in Kinyogoga.
We continue to listen to them as we plan for the next one year of supporting them in building their power. Towards the end of August, 78 Girl leaders from 39 spaces in Uganda met and shared moments of inspiration, learning and planning how to start a movement of “By Girls, with Girls” at the first ever 5- day Girls Camp under this program. They were joined virtually by other girls in Kenya, Tanzania and Ethiopia.
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