FICH commences Girls’ Empowerment School Retention Program at Akwangi Primary School in Oyam District with support from Grassroots Nest for Innovation and Change (GRiC). This initiative stems from a proposal submitted by GRiC fellow Sharon Achan, as part of the GRiC Africa Youth Leadership Program. Achan’s proposal emerged as the second-best in the third cohort of 2023. Through this project, Achan aims to ensure that girls aged 10-17 stay in school and complete their primary education.
“By engaging with the community, parents, teachers, and opinion leaders, we will mentor these young girls on essential life skills such as self-awareness. We will also provide training on menstrual hygiene, including how to make and use sanitary towels—an important step in reducing school dropout rates,” Achan explains.
Lawrence Ocaya, the Head Teacher at Akwangi Primary School, emphasized the importance of how we nurture our children: “When we buy dolls for our children, we buy cars for boys and babies for girls, which means we are preparing our girls to be mothers. Even during marriage, the maids we present are very young girls, triggering marriage thoughts in these girls.”
Nicholas Opio Awelo, the local council three chairperson of Iceme sub-county, appealed for increased parental involvement in children’s education. “Parents must ensure their children are active and productive in their learning. We can also nurture the talents each child exhibits at school, beyond academics, to keep them engaged,” he added.
The Girls’ Empowerment School Retention Program will run for 180 days at Akwangi Primary School in its pilot stage, aiming to create a supportive environment for girls to thrive and complete their education.
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