Girls Not Brides Empower Project
Child marriage is a health and human rights issue, especially for girls and women in the developing world. It is particularly prevalent in Uganda.
Child marriage is a health and human rights issue, especially for girls and women in the developing world. It is particularly prevalent in Uganda.
:In Uganda, 54% of women between 20 and 24 were married by 18, and 12% are married by age 15. In the districts of Kabarole (western) and Butaleja (eastern) Uganda, parents marry off their daughters for money and gifts.
The children’s project engages children in activities that help contribute to improving their education and boosting their Christian life. The project also involves children in games to promote body physical fitness while allowing them their right to play.
Around 55-65% of Kampala’s 1.7 million inhabitants reside in slum areas resulting from rural urban migration, & the city is struggling to accommodate its infrastructure to this massive & growing need. Land tenure remains a controversial issue & persistent flooding creates health & logistical difficulties.
Over the course of two years, Joy for Children has acted as a key instrument in raising to the World Bank serious human rights and social issues, including sexual violence and threats to girls and women, that were occurring during the construction of a World Bank financed project, the Fort Portal to Kamwenge Road Construction.
In Uganda, 45% of girls are married before the age of 18, yet child marriage often goes unreported. Child rights advocates in the country are determined to do something about that and recently launched Girls Not Brides Uganda: the National Alliance to End Child Marriage.
Uganda is investing heavily in promoting access to education for all its children. Over the past decade, the education budget has increased significantly yet both the learning outcomes for children and primary school retention rates, particularly for marginalized girls, are discouraging.
In an environment where government structures are weak or ineffective, it’s the responsibility of a civil society organization to stand up for children’s rights.