A School In Uganda Makes "Yes We Can More than Just a Campaign Slogan..."
A recent Christian Science Monitor article takes a look at one school's approach to helping young women address the challenges of poverty and unemployment in Uganda.
With a median age of 15, Uganda has the world's youngest population, according to a 2008 World Bank report. It also has the highest youth (ages 15-24) unemployment rate: 83 percent. It's common to find 20-somethings with law and business degrees stocking supermarket shelves.
The article points out an all girls school in Kagdai, Uganda, that is trying to break this cycle. Sponsored by the non-profit Uganda Rural Development Programme the school is choosing to fight poverty by unleashing the potential in 250 of Uganda's poorest girls. The URDT's mission statement says that they wish to give the girls the tools, and encouragement they need in order to become the "creators of their desired circumstances."
To do so the school uses a two-generational approach that helps both the future generation (students) as well as the current generation (parents). So, the daughters team up with their parents and figure out what part of their lives they want to change then with the help of their teachers, together they make that change happen. Whether this is learning to grow enough crops to feed their family, or building a cleaner latrine, the school reminds the girls that they are their own number one resource for change.
Thanks to URDT's encouragement these girls are creating both jobs and change for themselves. As the Christian Science Monitor says, the students are making "yes we can more than just a campaign slogan from a far away land."
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wow, that sounds like a
wow, that sounds like a really powerful program! Smart and practical in recognizing social and economic gains that are possible when girls are given a chance to succeed. It's not just about getting more girls into school, but helping them use their education to take control over their lives. These young girls in Uganda will determine the future of their country but they have to become aware of all the power they have. It's good to hear about a program that is taking seriously the need for girls to have positive self-esteem to start changing their society. I'm sure that the solutions these girls come up with will be well worth the investment.
Universal Secondary Education In Uganda
According to the 2009 Education For All Global Monitoring Report, remarkable gains have been made in the effort to provide education to all by 2015.
Yet still, in sub-Saharan Africa, only 25 percent of children eligible for secondary school are enrolled. Even then, about 25 percent after their first year will drop out, and only a handful remain by graduation. A recent article by The Guardian highlighted the Universal Secondary Education (USE) Government Program in Uganda which is trying to turn this statistic around. Acting Secondary Education Commissioner Robinson Nsumba-Lyazi commented on the program.
This sounds like a
This sounds like a well-thought out and sustainable program. Its strength seems to be that it is very in touch with the realities on the ground, something programs imposed from the outside may not be. By designing the education program to fit the local economic characteristics, the program makes it more likely that their graduates will find ways to employ the skills they learn. Development programs that know the local realities seem like the right way to go, and I especially admire the empowerment aspects of the URDT program. It ensures that the effects of the program will continue past graduation.
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