Educate and Empower Girls and Women of Acholi

RIVER FUND HIV/AIDS FAMILY SUPPORT WOMEN ASSOCIATION is a Community Based organization established in 2006. Its office is situated at Christ the King parish, Kitgum Town Council, Kitgum district, Uganda. It has a total membership of 30 women who have volunteered to help sensitize and restore hope to the traumatized community (orphans, child headed families, people affected with HIV/Aids) as well as improve the nutrition of malnourished children. 

Key focused areas of intervention include; Training People Living With AIDS (PLWA) on long term Survival skills, Care of malnourished children through providing food stuff, Counseling of married couples on coping with the AIDS pandemic situation in their families, Home visits of PLWA, Educating mothers on providing proper and balanced nutrition using locally available resources and Initiating livelihood and economic strengthening schemes for PLWA that do not demand too much energy and Educating the rural women and girls-providing sponsorship to secondary School going girls.

This year 2015, with support from The River Fund, the Association has managed to support 20 Secondary School going girls in their education. Activities carried out include:

1. Assessment and Identification of Girls for support.

The identification of these girls took place in February 2015 when the new school term 1 begun. The selection process involved the heads of schools. Their involvement was very important. In that the administration already had the necessary information of the neediest girls. The approach was to pick girls already enrolled in school to avoid picking girls not in school since the support is only available for one year which will mean after the one year they again drop out of school. The criteria used were based on the premise of the level of need and performance in class. Twenty students were selected from St. Bakhita Girls Secondary school and Msgr. Antonio Vingato Secondary School. All the identified students are in the boarding section for close contact and mentorship.

2. Support to the beneficiaries.

This school term, a total of twenty (20) girls were supported with fees and sanitary towels. All the students that were selected are also being mentored by teachers identified by the school administration with guidance from the River Fund office. Those in senior four further had their examination and field trip fees paid to enable them receive full package and concentrate in their last year of ordinary level studies.

Mentorship

To enable the mentorship to be successful, with the help of the school administration, two teachers per school were identified to have close interaction with the students being supported by the project. The teachers organize monthly group meeting with all the girls to enable them discuss together what possible challenges they face that may interfere with their performance and education. Some of the issues discussed include: What makes young girls think of involving themselves in teenage sexual relationship. To this, the girls had these to say.

Some parents and community members use vulgar languages, for example, you have all it takes for you to get married, are you not normal? Some parents force them get out of home especially parents who are in need of money force their girls into marriage for the sake of getting money from dowry, Some parents express being tired of providing fees, feedings, buying clothes for their girls and neglect from their parents, some do not provide basic private needs e.g. Pads, Bathing soap, Panties 

To gauge their understanding and opinions about the practice of involving in teenage sexual behavior, we asked the girls of the ways of avoiding this problem? These are their responses. Constant career guidance and mentorship to the girls by the teachers, organizing joint sessions with the parents, Periodic Visit by River Fund Volunteer to encourage the students and girls getting involved in School club activities

Lessons Learned

Mentorship is very important for the improvement in the performance of students at school because it provide an avenue for opening up by the students about the challenges they are facing that if not handled may interfere with their studies. During mentorship meetings, the teachers explore the students challenging situations and talk about it with them to find out the best way of handling the difficult situations. The problems may stem from home were the girls come and in such scenario, arrangements will be made to meet with the parents of the girls to discuss about it with aim of making the situation better.

There are students who have no one to provide their fees even when they have parents at home.A case in point is one student from Msgr. Antonio Vingato school whom the school had to call her parents to send her back to school because she had already been sent home for failure to pay fees. Some of these girls reported late to school as they have to first do some petty jobs to earn money for fees like brewing alcohol.

Challenges

The support being just for one year means the students in senior three and even those in senior four may not continue to the next level of their education.

Some girls go without the most needed basic needs like soap, toothpaste because their parents cannot provide for them. This has made them to always depend on friends at school.

Recommendations

Organize meetings with the parents of the girls to advise them to save money this year for their children’s studies in case no more funding is received to support the girls.

Discussing with parents about their responsibilities towards the studies and wellbeing of their children - especially girl children.