By Audrey Kanyesigye | Girl Power Project Coordinator
The Just Like My Child team has embarked on a new round of Girl Power Project™ training in 2013. An exciting new component of this year’s program involves training girls who participated in last year’s activities on how to be peer mentors, in order to strengthen their leadership skills and create sustainability and continuity for this very enriching program in their schools and communities.
One activity we conducted this year was a combined peer-mentoring workshop for girls and boys from two of the active primary school communities that we have been working with; St. Joseph Magogo and St. Kizito Giryadde. Upon first hearing the term “peer mentors”, the kids were a little puzzled as to what it really meant for them. Our Girl Power facilitators explained that they would be teachers for young children (their peers), sharing knowleadge and coaching them on life skills, healthy relationships, sex education and leadership. Knowing more about peer mentoring made them very excited; just the thought of being a teacher and leader whilst still in primary school is rare and a special honor in Uganda.
As the workshop progressed, the girls and boys began to fully understand exactly why they were perfect for the job of mentoring their peers. However, they had their doubts and fears on how all this would work out. They had a long list of questions. What if my mentee is not interested in what I have to say? What if my mentee does not listen to me and keeps doing the wrong things over and over?
In a separate workshop at Namumira Primary School, the girls seemed to have it all figured out as they quickly pointed out possible solutions to these doubts and fears. They suggested to the Just Like My Child team that their work as peer mentors might be easier if their potential mentees were given training on peer mentor and mentee relationships and then only those children who show interest in having a mentor become part of the program. Also, the girls asked that they be formally introduced in the school as valid peer mentors. That way they would not be undermined, but respected and given a chance to do their jobs right.
After this first round of Girl Power Project™ Peer Mentoring training, we can gladly say that Just Like My Child Foundation has been able to turn around a somewhat doubtful future for teenage girls in a very remote area of Uganda. These girls now have a brighter future since they feel more empowered to believe in themselves and their ability to reach their fullest potential.
We hope you will continue to follow our exciting progress and be a critical part of Just Like My Child Foundation's Girl Power Project™ movement!!
We extend our continuing gratitude to our partners, The Collective Heart and Feminine Power. Together, we are doing amazing and essential work!!
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