Girls Academy for Conscious Change

Dear Friends and Supporters:

We are so pleased to share final feedback from three teams of young women who worked hard to create lasting change in their communities throughout 2014.  Their work was possible thanks to the partnership between Global Grassroots of Kigali and Komera based in Rwinkwavu. 

Each of three teams has reported back with final results of their work.  These teams of girls, like girls before them, grew in confidence and compassion as a part of their own personal transformation, while helping create long lasting shifts in their communities, as shared here:

1. The venture, Step Forward (Terimbere), led by a team of eight young women with the mission to reduce poverty among women and youth through offering workshops on family planning and starting a livestock program, helped by:

• training 42 community members about how to create jobs (and of those members 15 couples started a land circle that contributes Rwandan francs each week toward buying goats)
• assisting seven couples to breed goats who then used these acquired skills to save money;
• sensitizing ten couples who learned about family planning (new cases of unwanted pregnancies decreased by 15%).

2. The Young Women's Vision Team, Izina ry’Umushinga, had a the mission to reduce the number of street girls that do not attend school through educating/sensitizing children about the importance of education and advocating for their rights.

The team carried out:
- training of children's rights
- raising awareness of the importance of children’s education and
- six girl students were supported with school fees, school materials and a follow-up coaching program.

In doing so the team achieved these outcome goals:

• 40% of trained households on the importance of children have sent the children to school equally.
• the six girls that the team ensured would attend school represent a 45% increase in girl attendance.

Success story:
“I have been on the street for 3 years before meeting the Vision Team.  I was not feeling interested to go back to school, as I dropped out after only one year of my primary school. I was hopeless for my future life. But now, I am eligible to plan and think for my future plan”. I can think of what I want to become at the end of my studies,” said Isabella.

3. The young women's venture,"Those to be Seen, " Indangamirwa selected and then supported five of the most vulnerable children from their community, Nkondo cellule, to help reduce the number of street children in their commiunity, and turn them to students attending school.

Their achievements:

• Five children are now attending the school regularly and live either with their families, extended families or in home-stays.
• 30% of new parents (6 out of 20 parents) now send their children to school.
• 60% of parents now converse with their children and respect their rights in terms of allowing them to pursue school

One example of success:  This team worked with a young girl who had dropped out from school after Primary one because her mother was very poor, HIV Positive, and chronically sick. This child used to spend her days around the Rwinkwavu Hospital collecting discarded food.  The team helped her return to school.  According to one of the team members, "the best point is that through Global Grassroots’ skills, we found a partner who will sponsor her up to secondary school."

By sharing these final results, we are now ready to formally close this project.  We are grateful to our followers and all of you who have offered financial support to these young women. Thank you, very much.  

You are welcome at this point to consider following and supporting:

- Global Grassroots girls who are engaging in similar training and community work in Uganda: https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/young-women-conscious-change-uganda/.  
Or alternatively: - the Komera Global Run which supports the education and empowerment of girls: 
https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/komera-global-run/ 

Links:

• Global Grassroots