Literacy skills for 200 refugee women and girls

Having reached over 600 refugee adult women and girls through this program over the last 4 years, we have decided to integrate our literacy program into Agricultural training programs. The Agribusiness training programs are practical based where women learn good farming practices, are provided with farming tools and thereafter mentored to do farming as a business. This is allowing women to produce their own food, address challenges of malnutrition while earning incomes for themselves and their households.

We are grateful for the testimonies of women and girls who never had the opportunity to go to school now able to keep records of their business, communicate with their customers and children and experiencing increased self-confidence. Others like Zuberi, Viola are now women leaders at Boroli settlement of Adjumani.

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Jennifer a 24 year old refugee from South Sudan dropped out of formal education at the age of 11 when her father forced her into marriage. With no skills to initiate any income generating activity, Jenniffer was left to depend on relief supplies from NGOs.

In 2021, Jennifer enroled in oen of our integrated Functional Adult Literacy program in which she received entreprenuership skills. With the inspiration from the training, Jennifer sought to start poultry farming. Fortunately, Voice for Humanity Uganda received funding from Go Campaign in 2022 to support young mothers like Jennifer have access to farming tools. She was able to receive 5 start up poultry birds. With the knowledge on business management received during the Adult Learning sessions, Jennifer has managed to care for her poultry birds and today she has over 15 birds. 'My plan is to develop my poultry business with the business skills I received so that i can be able to earn atleast $5000 annualy from sale poultry which will enable me pay school fees of my children''. 'I am so happy for that training otherwise i would npot have been able to manage this poultry business today'.

Like Jennifer, many of the beneficiaries of our Functional Adult Literacy program had managed to initiate successful small scale business because of the entreprenuership skills that they received.

Maria, a South Sudanese refugee single mother and widow of 5 children currently staying at Boroli Settlement of Adjumani runs one of the most successful small scale business within the refugee settlement. This was all because of the business management skills that Maria acquired during the 6 months Integrated Functional Adult Literacy Training that she attended in 2019.

According ot Maria ''Talking well to my customers has attracted many people to come and buy from me''.  Because of the challenges she has undergone and too much stress, Maria acknowledges that she used to be very rude to customers before she attended the Ault Literacy training and her business was almost collapsing but after going through a session on customer care and good communication skills in business, 'I changed and started to be polite to my customers'. Now days cutomers find it easy interract with me and they love buying from me added Maria. ''Some of my fellow women in the market even think I do witch craft to attract customers'' which is not true.

''Am so happy with that training by Voice for Humanity Uganda because it has enabled to manage my business very well by keeping proper records, saving and talking to customers well''. My life and that of my children is better now. I plan to expand my business and see all my children complete their education.

Maria was part of the 50 adult refugee women and girls from Boroli settlement that Voice for Humanity Uganda trained on basic literacy and numeracy skills along with other cross cutting issues like business skills management, Nutrition, Environment among others over a six months period from June to December 2019. This was a practical based training where the beneficiary women were challenged to put the skills acquired into practical use in their daily lives including their businesses. Many of the beneficiaries were already running small scale business such as the one of Maria who deals in fish and other vegetables.

We have just enrolled a new group of 15 refugee women at Boroli Refugee Settlement of Adjumani who willl undergo a three months Functional Adult Literacy Program that ends in January 2023. The beneficiaries could not hide their excitement as they learnt how to read and write the letters of Alphabet and Numbers. ''I love education and I missed it when my parents forced me to get married at the age of 16 years back in South Sudan, I wanted to become a nurse but all these dreams died, but now I have another chance to atleast know how to write my name, read something and even speak some English even if its not very good  English'', says Mary who is a single  mother of 6 children and now lives in Boroli.

Over 85% of refugee women and girls at Adjumani are illiterate and lack any skills. Our literacy program is holistic as it does not only focus on literacy and numeracy skills but also equips the women with other skills in the areas of Agriculture, Nutrition, Hygiene, Child care, Motherhood, Leadership, Environment and women's rights including their reproductive health and rights. We also handle aspects of business management and record keeping including saving. These skills are very critical in empowering our beneficiary women and some have become leaders in their communities while others have excelled in their businesses.

We are so grateful to individual donors like you who have made this program a live again through your generous giving. Education changes everything and to empower women, means we must invest in their education.

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This months ( Friday 26th November 2021), we graduated 25 South Sudanese women and girls who completed our six months integrated Functional Adult Literacy Program. Besides learning basic numeracy and literacy skills, the women also learnt leadership skills. Other areas covered during the six months training were; Hygiene and Sanitation, basic facts on the spread and prevention of COVID-19, HIV/AIDS and other reproductive health issues that affect women, Environment specifically the need for tree planting as women are the  most affected by climate change effects. Aspects of entreprenmuarship and business management skills were also discussed. The training was practical, conducted twice a week and classes lasting 2-3 hours. 90% of the women registered full attendance of the training over the 6 months period. 

According Ms. Asienzo, a 45 year old single mother of 6 children living in Boroli settlement of Adjumani, learning English was like a dream for her. ''I was married off at the age of 17, my father did not value girls education so i was not taken to school though I had much interest to study because I knew when one studies, they are able to change their lives and those around them, but I didnt get that opportunity. I made a promise to ensure all my children get an education that I why I struggle as a single mother to ensure my children attend school. Am so happy to learn how to read and write in English, even though what I know is small, it will help me read my children's report cards and understand plus i can also talk to some of my customers who dont speak my language since I sell vegetables in the market. Thank you Voice for Humanity for bringing for us teachers who are from the community as they made us understand easily since they can translate some things in our language'.  

Thank you all for making it possible for Asienzo and her friends gain the skills that will not only nimprove on their self confidence but imporve the quality of life of their families. Educated woman means a healthier family. We are more than grateful for you kind donation that has enabled us buy the training materials and facilitate community teachers to make a difference.