Working Women: Changing the gender landscape in Uganda, one woman at a time
Starting with a group of ambitious young female beekeepers in Kyankwanzi, One Girl is working to create a wave that will transform the gender landscape in Uganda
April 2020 | MELBOURNE: “We are working to build a wave of unstoppable motivated young women, who will change their futures and the futures imagined by other girls,” said Dr Chrisanta Muli, CEO of One Girl from Melbourne HQ.
“Woman by woman, this wave will grow and totally transform the gender landscape in Uganda.”
One Girl has been working with young women in Uganda since 2019, in partnership with Action for Rural Women’s Empowerment (ARUWE), through the unique Girls Emerge program. Girls Emerge Uganda supports young women with the opportunity to learn critical skills, through targeted vocational training in safe, girl-friendly spaces, supporting them to find valuable and sustainable work within their communities.
“Our work with young women in Uganda raised some questions around the current opportunities available to women in the current jobs market,” said Dr Muli.
“What career options currently exist for women? What kind of training and resources do they need to access these career opportunities? What are the barriers young women face?
And how do we break down barriers, challenge gender stereotypes and support women to achieve their dreams?”
And that is where this Gendered Market Analysis (GMA) comes in.
This research surveys 1,080 women aged between 15 - 24 years who had not completed secondary school to find out more about what the real employment opportunities are specifically for young women with a primary school education in Uganda. It also provides information on what opportunities young Ugandan women need to enter the workforce in profitable, safe, achievable and local professions. This involved both surveys and in-depth focus group discussions with young women, community members, NGO workers, vocational trainers and traders in both urban and rural contexts in Uganda.
“Through this research, we are trying to identify the opportunities for young Ugandan women to enter the workforce, be safe, maintain successful careers and break down persistent gendered barriers facing young women,” said Dr Muli.
Commercial bee-keeping, manufacturing and selling clean energy briquettes, cook stoves, and recycled paper products were among the opportunities identified as safe and having plenty of opportunity for growth and success. These were adapted to build the basis for vocational training provided through Girls Emerge.
Starting in 2021, 200 young women will be trained and given the option to engage in these ‘new’ vocations, launching Uganda into their next phase of development with a cohort of creative and driven young entrepreneurs.
Read the full Gendered Market Analysis here.
For more information or to request an interview, contact One Girl Communications & Advocacy Director, Anjali Nambissan, on 03 9913 4818 or at media@onegirl.org.au
About One Girl:
One Girl is an international NGO, established in 2009, that focuses on harnessing the power of education to create lasting change for girls, their families, communities and the world! We collaborate with communities and well-established implementation partners across Sierra Leone and Uganda to dismantle barriers that prevent women and girls from reaching their full potential.
About Girls Emerge
Girls Emerge Uganda supports young women with the opportunity to learn critical skills, through targeted vocational training in safe, girl-friendly spaces, supporting them to find valuable and sustainable work within their communities.
