Uganda: Spotlight on Stories of Hope and Resilience

Rockflower is a global venture philanthropy fund maintaining partnerships across the world, in particular across the African continent. As the pandemic continues to have a disproportionate impact on those countries without access to vaccines and medications, we have chosen to spotlight the situation in Uganda where we currently have nine partnerships -  Farm Life, Foundation for Women’s Dignity, Hope for the Future Organization, Hope for Rural Women (HORUWO), Kinyamaseke Youth in Development (KYID),  Rwenzori United Group for Life Improvement (RUGLI), Women Advocacy and Development Services (UWADS) Youth and Women Initiative for Sustainable Development (YWISD) and Dare Now Uganda (DNU). 

In recent months, our partners in Uganda have faced immense challenges caused by the spread of the recent Delta variant of COVID-19, which has brought a halt to all planned activities during the most recent 42 days of lockdown. Many Ugandans are now without income or community support and are struggling to fulfill basic needs such as access to food. Our partner organizations work hard to support their communities and create stability, and throughout this time have found themselves overwhelmed with requests for food, and other basic necessities. 

Through the generosity of our supporters, Rockflower has been able to ensure that funds have been made available to support our Ugandan partners throughout this time. Funds that would normally be allocated to community based projects for women and girls, are now being used for the purchase of food to keep them alive. 

The situation in Uganda has worsened in recent months despite evidence that in the early stages of the pandemic, the country was extremely successful at protecting its citizens. In 2016, Uganda founded a global health security program at the Infectious Disease Institute at Makerere University in Kampala in order to combat and plan for pandemics. Early in 2020, the government quickly developed border screenings, laboratory testing capacity, community surveillance and infection control in health clinics and hospitals. As a result of this expeditious rollout of safety measures, Uganda was reporting fewer cases and deaths than other countries of similar population size.

It wasn’t until the Delta variant began spreading rapidly that the condition worsened. This variant of COVID-19 transmits more easily and has led to a higher percentage of severe illness, including those requiring oxygen support. Uganda has a population of 44 million and so far has recorded a total of 91,355 cases of COVID-19 and 2,483 deaths, according to the latest data from the health ministry. The virus has spread to 108 districts, out of which 20, including Kampala and Wakiso, have been significantly affected. 

On June 19th, Uganda re-imposed a 42 day complete lockdown, which only allowed citizens to leave their homes for essential purchases and included a ban on the use of any private vehicles other than those operated by essential workers. The response from the broader population was not welcoming of the lockdown. Many believed that it would do more harm than good, and those who may be in dire need of resources and support are afraid to approach local law enforcement, and would prefer to stay silent.

Unfortunately, the only measure that can truly stop the spread of COVID-19 and pull Uganda out of this desperate situation is the ready availability of vaccinations. COVID-19 is now considered a preventable disease thanks to the numerous vaccines that have been proven effective, but without access to these vaccines, the pandemic will continue to spread in unvaccinated populations. 

In March of 2021, Uganda received their first donation of vaccines, and felt confident that they would soon be able to vaccinate 50% of their population. In March they received 864,000 vaccines donated through CoVax and another 100,000 donated from India. Although still beneficial, this number is a drop in the bucket against Uganda’s population of 44 million. First responders and high risk patients were prioritized, but once these vaccines were used, vaccination efforts were shut down until late June when France donated another 175,000 doses. Since then, Uganda has not received any additional doses.

The Ugandan government has so far failed to purchase any vaccines, with officials saying the country had been priced out of the market by richer nations in the West, and therefore has been relying on surplus donations from other countries. Like many nations, Uganda was hoping to purchase vaccines produced in India, however due to India's recent devastating outbreak, they are no longer exporting doses. 

The phrase ‘vaccine diplomacy’ has long been the topic of conversation regarding how vaccines will be distributed across the world. The issue is that this phrase represents a political rather than science-based effort to vaccinate populations. It has become a matter of politics and money. Developing countries that have the capacity to produce vaccines are unable to negotiate for the licenses from drug companies and countries without strong bilateral relationships may get passed over. This vaccination distribution method does not eliminate hotspots of the virus, which will lead to even more dangerous variants emerging. The world is quickly losing time, and will require a global resolve to end the pandemic equitably.

Rockflower has received updates from a number of Ugandan partners informing us of their current situation, and in many cases asking for help. Our partner organizations are pillars of support for their communities, and have therefore been inundated with requests for help throughout the lockdown. Nankindu Angella, Chairperson & Co-founder of Youth and Women Initiative for Sustainable Development (YWISD) explained the challenges faced by her community throughout the current lockdown.

“It's a hard and challenging time for us community leaders, we were working on improving the market then boom the lock down came in and everything is now so hard. Now we have put the training on hold to observe and follow Standard Operating Procedures for COVID-19. Since we supported our beneficiaries during the previous lockdown even now they keep coming to us for help and we have done what we can, we are supporting very many women in the community who cannot feed their children. I myself am a single mother, I clearly understand what many of these women pass through now since many work for day-to-day food.”

Our partner organizations have been forced to suspend activities, which in many cases has caused the loss of the sole source of income for women and girls who support themselves and their families. Rockflower partner, Biira Mary, the Executive Director of Rwenzori United Group for Life Improvement (RUGLI), sent us an update explaining the economic impact and long-term devastation caused by the pandemic.

“COVID-19 has created a lot of devastating social, economic, and political crises that are going to leave deep scars for years to come. The impact caused may  reverse   the progress made in tackling global challenges  for many years  putting at risk the lives and livelihoods of people living in underdeveloped countries  but pressing many vulnerable people, the youth and persons with disabilities. The dreadful virus has caused a lot of gaps in the development process increasing the vulnerability of youths due to lack of essential resources such as clean water, food, medical supplies and even basic information. The disease has proved to be a tragic longer-term impact, with the potential for mass unemployment, and the risk of increasing inequality, marginalization, and poverty.”

Upon receiving these and many other messages from our partners in Uganda, Rockflower was able to put together a small but impactful emergency relief fund to help with food and other basic necessities for these communities. We are looking at all opportunities to raise additional funds including an additional surge of cryptocurrency donations to sustain this fund and provide life-saving necessities to women and girls who have been greatly affected by the pandemic. Sarah Namunyagwa, a single mother who has participated in YWISD projects in the past, is one beneficiary of the emergency relief fund. Her gratitude for such a small gift of food, is extremely humbling.

"I don't know how much I can thank you for this food, may God continue blessing you abundantly. I had nothing, totally nothing, to feed my 4 children in this COVID lockdown. I am a single mother and having gone through weaving training and you gave me hope to change my life but COVID is making it very difficult for me. Last month I was learning online marketing and I hoped to increase my sales and better the livelihood of my family but COVID lockdown came and all is at pause now yet basic needs are needed…you have not given up on me again you have provided food to help us survive, just extend my gratitude to your partners.”

As of July 30th, the full lockdown in Uganda has been lifted and the country is now looking toward rebuilding all that was lost during this time, providing basic necessities to those who are still without and continuing to fight COVID-19. The challenges faced by these communities are far from over, especially because the country is still severely lacking vaccines for its citizens. 

As our partners begin to resume their activities, the opportunity to gain income via e-commerce is one that could greatly improve their situations. Currently the gender gap that exists on online platforms is excluding billions of dollars from the wallets of female entrepreneurs and the opportunity for economic improvement via their training and participation is immense. The Council for Foreign Relationships noted, “Watershed moments to transform women’s economic status globally are few and far between, but COVID-19 and the post-pandemic recovery offer one of these rare and critical junctures. We cannot afford to miss this opportunity for development and an equitable future for all.”

A few of the outstanding goods being made by some of our partners are shown here by one of our partners, Hope for the Future. We continue to believe in the possibility of new and emerging lines of commerce to benefit their beautiful and innovative work and look forward to exploring these and other opportunities for growth.

Rockflower remains committed to providing support for all of our Ugandan partners so that they may resume activities to support the women and girls of their communities.  Please consider donating to Rockflower’s Emergency Fund, either through traditional channels such as our website’s donation page, or through cryptocurrency via our partnership with The Giving Block. Please be assured that even a small donation can be extremely helpful for women and girls struggling to fulfill their basic needs and those of their families. 

Update on Association Burkinabé des Femmes Battantes’ Weaving and Dyeing Project

Rockflower Partner, Association Burkinabé des Femmes Battantes (ABFB), based in Burkina Faso, has just completed the training phase of their Weaving and Dyeing project. The year-long project aims to train and employ 20 women facing extreme poverty and joblessness through the installation of a weaving and dyeing loom in Godin village. 

Burkina Faso is a small West African country that has long suffered from droughts, flooding, and increasing desertification, overgrazing, soil degradation and deforestation. Over the past decade, the country, which was once one of West Africa’s most stable, has been under constant attack by terrorists and local rebels, leaving many areas decimated, and many citizens displaced. In 2013, the French military intervened to counter terrorist violence. However, in June of 2021, France announced their intention to end this military operation, and the effects of this decision have the potential to devastate the nation. 

“Things have become much worse in Tin-Akof recently,” Boubacar Dialo, a displaced citizen, told Al Jazeera. “Terrorists have a chokehold on the area. There are no more markets, so the vehicles no longer come and there is no work. Before, [fighters] just came to loot our animals, kidnap the people they were looking for and leave. Now it’s come to the point where they just burn down whole villages.”

The country also has one of the lowest literacy rates in the world, at 36% and only 1% of girls graduate from high school. This lack of education has led to a staggering 52% of girls married before the age of 18. The nation has the worst rating in the world for the health of mothers with less than 50% of Burkinabé having access to clean water. For women and girls seeking to support themselves and their families, there are very few options.

Given the desperation of the country’s current situation as well as the nation’s high unemployment rate of 77%, ABFB’s project is able to offer a light of hope to women, many of whom are victims of child marriages and domestic abuse, in the village of Godin. The 20 women who are currently participating in the program have completed a 30-day training in using the weaving and dyeing loom and will soon be able to generate income through the sale of yarn and cloth. In addition these 20  women will train additional women in the skills they’ve learned as the project progresses, ensuring a continuum of sustainability. 

Aline W. Bontogho, ABFB president, told us, “This project is the very first activity that the women of the village of Godin will benefit from. Apart from this project, the women have no activities to do and are left on their own without any activity that will allow them to get out of poverty, but thanks to your support, they will carry out an Income Generating Activity (IGA) which will greatly contribute to their development and the development of Godin.” 

As the organization moves into the next phase of this project, they are excited to begin generating income, and helping the residents of Godin Village gain financial stability during such an extremely challenging time for the nation. The women involved in the program will soon have the ability to financially support themselves and their families, which will allow them agency over their lives. 

CHICOSUDO Begins Women Empowerment Through Vocational Skills Project

Chitani Community Sustainable Development Organization (CHICOSUDO), a Rockflower partner based in Malawi has begun a new project in which they aim to empower disadvantaged and unemployed women through providing training in vocational skills. Rockflower has previously funded CHICOSUDO’s project, End Child Marriage Now!!! Promote Her Rights, which advocated for policies against child marriage and raised awareness around sexual and reproductive health issues in order to address the knowledge gap within communities.

The goal of the organization’s newest initiative is to empower the survivors of child marriages and single mothers by equipping them with skills, tools and support to become self-reliant. This project will help to break the cycle that pressures girls to leave school early in order to marry young or work in the home. This cycle leaves those women who have not completed school without any access to vocational training or forms of higher education, which often leads to complete dependence on their husbands. 

CHICOSUDO is aiming to break this cycle with their new project which is specifically aimed toward helping 20 women who are both survivors of child marriages and single mothers to teens and young adults. They have also determined that this project will also indirectly benefit 105 additional people including children and relatives of the women. The organization will train these women in stitching, tailoring and embroidery. Additionally  the women will receive business training and help from local businesses and agencies to support them and connect them to potential markets as they prepare to begin their own businesses.

Upon completion of the program, CHICOSUDO will introduce a Savings and Internal Lending Community (SILC) program to help the women start their businesses. At the end of the six month training period, the participants will take the Technical Education, Vocation and Entrepreneurship Training Authority (TEVETA) exam and receive official certificates. The group will also organize a number of market fairs to sell their products. 

This project will lead to increased access to capital, reduced poverty, reduced unemployment, and an overall enhanced quality of life for survivors of child marriages. Not only will it improve the lives of the women involved, but it will help break the cycle of women being subjected to child marriages in the future.

SIRP Begins Vocational Training for Unemployed Youth in Nigeria

Society for the Improvement of Rural People, a Rockflower partner based in Nigeria, will be launching a new project, Vocational Training for Unemployed Youth in Nigeria, in which they will train unemployed youth and young adults in the Idaw-River community in a number of highly employable vocational skills. SIRP has previously partnered with Rockflower to reduce the female genital mutilation (FGM) prevalence rate in the Akwuke community of Enugu State from 85% to 45% while directly effecting the number of girls that were able to remain in school.

The organization has conducted interview-based research of young adults ages 18-30 in the Idaw-River community, and determined that of their sample, 50% are currently unemployed and lack useful job skills. SIRP also found that the majority of interviewees have attended school, but the quality of their education has left them lacking the skills necessary to gain employment. Due to the prevalence of unemployment, many young adults are turning to theft and other illegal activities in order to support themselves and their families, which has had a negative impact on the overall safety of the community.

In response to this research, SIRP plans to train 30 young adults in a number of vocational skills which will allow them to develop their job skills, gain financial independence, and have the ability to teach these skills to other community members. The vocational skills will include: graphic design, soap making, cosmetology and baking. These specific vocations have been chosen based on a number of factors including time needed to learn the skills, demand and profitability. 

Through this pilot project alone, the program aims to reduce the unemployment rate in the Idaw-River community from 33% to 31% by the end of 2021. SIRP will also provide participants with training in business management and financial literacy so that they feel empowered to begin their own small businesses. They will then hold a certification ceremony at the end of the program to recognize the participants and name them champions of the community, which will empower them to help train the next round of participants and ensure the long-term sustainability of the program. This project aims to improve the quality of life for unemployed young adults in the Idaw-River community, as well as for the community as a whole.

Mategemeo Women Association Partners with Rockflower for Revolving Loan Scheme Project

Mategemeo Women Association, a non-governmental organization based in Tanzania, will be partnering with Rockflower once again for the creation of a Revolving Loan Scheme in order to help local women break the cycle of poverty and maintain financial security in the event of an emergency. The organization has previously partnered with Rockflower to remediate their community’s acute water problem by creating a number of shallow wells that provided clean drinking water to over 300 households. 

The Revolving Loan Scheme Project will work with twenty women who wish to start or boost their micro-projects in order to generate consistent  income and break the cycle of poverty. Once the borrowers receive their funds, they will pay back their loans with 2% interest over the course of six months, which will allow the organization to cycle the money to other women looking to start small businesses. 

Mategemeo Women Association will also provide free training in small business management, bookkeeping, calculating revenue, marketing and leadership which will allow them to successfully manage their businesses and finances. Some of the existing businesses in the program include the management of a poultry farm, and the sale of products like groceries, second hand clothing, shoes, stationery, and cosmetics.

Additionally, the organization will ask each of the women to contribute 15% of their net monthly income to an emergency welfare fund, which will be used to help members in the event of an emergency. This mutual aid fund will provide peace of mind to the beneficiaries, as they begin their businesses and face the uncertainties of maintaining financial stability and independence. 

This project will allow women who have previously had little access to capital, to start or scale micro-projects through a sustainable fund that will grow over time and reach more and more community members. The business training and emergency fund created by Mategemeo Women Association will support the beneficiaries as they navigate owning a business and will allow for greater financial security and stability while contributing to breaking the cycle of poverty in Tanzania. 

Rockflower welcomes Sahana Dharmapuri to the Board of Directors

Rockflower is delighted to welcome Sahana Dharmapuri to the Board of Directors. 

Sahana Dharmapuri brings a wealth of experience to Rockflower having been a prominent voice in the Women, Peace and Security arena for many years.  Sahana is Director of Our Secure Future, a program of One Earth Future Foundation. From 2006-2016 she was an independent gender advisor on gender, peace and security issues to USAID, NATO, The Swedish Armed Forces, the United States Institute for Peace, International Peace Institute, and other international development organizations. She has published widely on Women, Peace and Security issues including with CNN, Christian Science Monitor, The Fletcher Security Review, Hedaya and The Center for Global Counter-Terrorism, Women’s E-News, Human Rights Quarterly. 

Sahana understands precisely the nature of Rockflower’s work and appreciates the practical application of translating policy recommendations into tangible assistance in the form of fundamental and critical investment in the real lives of women.

"Today, it's clear that we cannot create security for ourselves at the expense of so many others' daily insecurity. Unfortunately, there is no place on Earth where women and girls enjoy equal status, or equal security with men. That's why Rockflower's work is so important. Lifting up women and girls around the world is our path to a more peaceful and secure world for everyone."  Sahana Dharmapuri, Director, Our Secure Future

“I am thrilled to welcome Sahana to Rockflower’s Board of Directors. It will be a gift to listen to her wisdom and perspectives on the fundamental principles of securing a more peaceful and just world for everyone, and to align these insights with our holistic approach to investing in women and girls”  Tine Ward, Founder and CEO, Rockflower Partners 

Bridging The Digital Divide: From Colombia to Pakistan

Rockflower Partners with Fundación El Origen, Colombia; welcomes Tania Rosas to the Rockflower Partner Advisory Council; and begins first initiative on a joint pilot project with long time partner Community Services Program, Pakistan 

Rockflower is delighted to announce a new partnership with Fundación El Origen, Colombia,  an organization working to break the cycle of poverty by making virtual learning an option for all students and by focusing on other educational challenges faced by indigenous and rural youth. 

The organization was founded by Tania Rosas, a young social entrepreneur from La Guajira – Colombia, who founded both Fundación El Origen and Origin Learning fund, and launched O-lab, an offline app for inclusive and personalised learning designed for at-risk indigenous and refugee children and youths worldwide. The O-lab app is preloaded with educational content, in both the language taught in schools as well as a native language, and does not require students or teachers to have access to an internet connection, a game changer for those in remote locations. 

In addition we are extremely fortunate that Tania has agreed to join Rockflower’s Partner Advisory Council.  Tania brings deep lived experience and understanding of the needs of rural communities and the struggle to access education. As a political scientist and educational researcher her commitment to making education more inclusive for communities often left out of the technological landscape will be invaluable to Rockflower’s determination to expand opportunities in education and economic advancement to many more women and girls . 

Tania and the team at Fundación El Origen expressed a deep desire to focus on Rockflower’s existing partners who work at the edges of some of the poorest and hardest to reach communities, for whom access to digital literacy and technology would be a first. Community Services Program, Pakistan, one of Rockflower’s longest standing partners, has been chosen as the first in a pilot project that will bring digital literacy to 1000 students within the most marginalized and rural populations of Punjab Province, Pakistan.  Over the course of a 12 month period, El Origen will train teachers at the Tine Model Girls School to implement the O-Lab app and integrate a learning curriculum designed exclusively for this community enabling them to access and understand the tools needed for 21st century engagement and advancement. 

Progress on RUGLI’s Tailoring their Futures Project

Rwenzori United Life Group (RUGLI) has been a Rockflower partner since 2018. The success of the Bio Briquette project has inspired other innovative income generating ideas, including training and teaching women valuable skills in clothing alteration and sewing. This has also provided the necessary knowledge and capital to own and operate their own small tailoring businesses through the Tailoring their Futures project. This project allows women and girls who previously lacked or struggled with obtaining a source of income to have a means of providing for themselves and their families.

RUGLI sees this initiative as an opportunity to even the playing field for women, in what historically has been a male dominated industry in this region of Uganda. By providing women with the knowledge and skills to enter this space, RUGLI is working to break down barriers in the tailoring profession and provide a sustainable source of income for those in need of economic empowerment.

Recently, RUGLI Executive Director, Biira Mary, updated us on the progress of the project, and the great impact that it is having on the lives of women through a number of inspiring stories and testimonials.

Read on to hear the stories of the women who are hard at work, tailoring their futures and taking success into their own hands with the help of RUGLI:

Barbara’s Story:

Barbara is a RUGLI trainee who has greatly benefited from the Tailoring their Futures project. She is a widow, and in 2006 lost her job and found herself with no means of supporting herself and her daughter, Katrina. She heard about Rwenzori United Group for Life Improvement (RUGLI) from a friend, and applied for the tailoring/design course. Over the past few months, Barbara has gradually grown her business and she now shares a workshop with another woman and rents a stall in the market in Kasese a couple of days a week to sell her garments.

Barbara started out making one dress at a time because that was all she could afford. She gradually earned enough money to buy more materials and increase her stock. Barbara is now able to pay for her daughter’s school fees from the money that she earns through her tailoring business. Katrina is doing really well at school and she hopes one day to become a doctor.

Doreen’s Story:

Doreen, a now dedicated and ambitious tailor and entrepreneur, has seen significant improvement in her business and has recently begun selling additional materials in her store.  Doreen started her tailoring business with the capital she received from Rwenzori United Group for Life Improvement (RUGLI) and with the profit she’s earned, she started grain selling from Kiburara to Bwera, and Kikorongo downtown where she has made much more money.  

When she started, she profited from tailoring and began grain selling, but now it is the other way around — she gets profit from grain selling to support her tailoring business and now she earns double the profit.  Doreen still continues to trade grains to the 3 downtowns in Kasese District.   As a woman, she faces many challenges including theft and other security  issues, but her growth cannot be challenged. Even though she is in an industry mainly occupied by men, she has managed to compete strongly and equally.

Mbambu Jolly’s Story:

Jolly, a recipient of training and assistance from RUGLI and Rockflower, has gradually developed both her skills and business while her capital and stock have increased. The more active she is in her business, the more skills she gains. Jolly’s success comes from her ability to create fashionable items that her customers are excited to purchase. Sometimes, her customers bring her designs and she is able to copy them and make her bestselling clothes. Because of her business she can now afford to smile and has the ability to support herself— she has purchasing power and independence.

Musoki Martha’s Story:

Martha operates her business near the Mawa market. She has managed to gain valuable customers because of her innate customer service skills. Martha also adds value to her business by buying second hand clothes that she upcycles and sells at a higher price. Martha has turned her shop into a workshop where she also teaches those that want to learn how to create a tailoring business or how to use a sewing machine. She earns income through instructing others, which adds to her profits.

Martha’s work is not without its challenges though. One issue that she faces in her work is that some customers are unwilling to pay after their tailoring is completed. Additionally, poverty in the area makes it difficult for people to purchase new or upcycled clothes, and many opt for cheaper, secondhand items, which detracts from Martha’s business. These challenges, despite her innovative business ideas and hard work, make it difficult for Martha to afford her rent. However, Martha plans to continue pushing and innovating until her business truly succeeds.

Biira Agatha’s Story:

Agatha has been an extremely successful trainee of RUGLI’s tailoring project. As a result of the skills she gained from working with RUGLI, Agatha is currently employing four girls in her shop who help her with the daily running of the business.

Agatha is proud of the growth and success of her business, even after facing the challenge of a broken sewing machine that nearly forced her to halt operations. Agatha has since fixed her sewing machine, and is proud to report that some of her goods are exported to South Sudan where there is already a booming market for her items. Her business is extremely prosperous, and she is seeing a lot of changes in her life. Agatha is able to pay school fees and rent, and she now trains other women from different areas in her trade.

These stories are testimony not only to the strength and hard work of these inspiring women, but to the reach and impact of the work done by RUGLI. This project, which continues to gain momentum and success, still requires further funding. RUGLI hopes to expand this program, and continue empowering women, but requires more sewing machines, materials and space to do so. Please consider donating to Rockflower, so that we can continue to support this project, and ensure that RUGLI can help even more women break the cycle of poverty, and gain financial independence through tailoring.

Clean Girls Soap and the call for collective action on the prevention of Child Marriage in Zimbabwe

We have featured the work of Women Advocacy Project, Zimbabwe, several times over the five years that they have been a Rockflower partner. However, after a recent zoom call with the Catalyzer Collective, it felt important to mark the many milestones that have been achieved by WAP and to recognise the single-minded focus, grit and determination it takes to prevent early child marriage in the communities where they work.

Constance Mugari, Founder and Executive Director and Mr. Akenga Dickson Mnyaci, Deputy Director of WAP, spent over an hour sharing the daily challenges they face in this endeavor but more importantly describing for us the enormous strides they have made in addressing the myriad of barriers to preventing child marriage.

WAP was created by a group of women from the surrounding communities of Harare in response to the lack of attention on issues affecting women and girls, especially the pressure to marry at a young age. By committing to promoting and protecting the rights of vulnerable and marginalized women and girls in communities through advocacy campaigns, providing safe spaces through local club meetings and more recently, through the creation of their soap making brand Clean Girls Soap, WAP ensures that the girls are front and center in the effort to improve their lives and those of their families. The creation of Clean Girls Soap has provided a source of income as am alternative to child marriage being the only solution out of acute poverty. Through the education and training of the girls on how to make and distribute Clean Girls Soap, they have developed new professional skills providing a pathway to future prosperity that would otherwise be blocked.

Rockflower’s Catalyzer Collective, a group of individuals committed to supporting and promoting the work of all Rockflower partners meets once a month to speak directly with partners and hear of their progress. In the last meeting in April, the Collective members were able to learn about WAP’s work, the challenges being met, the progress being made, and more importantly the hopes and plans for the future.

One of WAP’s greatest skills is their ability to reach out to funders and organizations who will understand and appreciate the long term benefits of the work they do. Rockflower’s partnership with WAP began in 2016 and we continue to support them in whatever way is needed. WAP has since gone on to attract significant support from The Advocacy Project, who really deserve the credit for ensuring that Constance and Dickson were given the technical support for their ambitious goals. Action for World Solidarity and most recently Together Women Rise (formerly Dining for Women) and several others share in this collaborative investment into the dreams of Constance and the Girl Ambassadors which will translate into a shared vision of future possibilities.

To date, WAP has completed the first phase of the “Clean Girl Soap Making Project” and has now moved into phase two. In phase one, the organization worked with 40 girls selected from two of WAP’s girls clubs. The girls learned to formulate, produce, package and sell 6,330 bottles of premium dish soap to over 15 local shops. The organization has received an official business certificate for “Clean Girls” and are in the process of receiving their product certification from The Standard Association of Zimbabwe. They have also invested in a solar energy system that will generate enough energy to power their soap processing facility. As a result of phase one, each girl involved in the soap making process was able to earn $21 USD of income.

Many of the girls involved in the program were unable to afford school fees and had to abandon their education. They were struggling to help provide for their families in an area with an unemployment rate higher than 90%. Before the intervention of WAP, many were in a situation that pressured them to marry very young in order to relieve the financial burden on their families. Perhaps the most significant result of WAP’s work is that 80% of girls involved with WAP have re-enrolled in school.

The parents of the girls involved in WAP’s Soap making project have also been extremely grateful and amazed by the results of the program.

One mother shared the following with WAP, “I want to thank WAP, particularly our Chitungwiza ambassador Evelyn. I met her when she was visiting her girls and I told her that I wanted my daughter to also join her club. Ever since my child joined her team, she has improved a lot, especially during the lockdown. They were not going to school but they were always occupied with something to do. Also, the income generating project they are doing has empowered her so much. I no longer worry much about her pocket money. She is now able to buy things for herself, like clothes, sanitary wear and things she desires to have as a girl. Many thanks to WAP for their great work. My daughter has completely changed even in character and she is now different from many other girls in the neighbourhood.”

The organization reported on the immense challenges they faced as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak, writing, “The girls could not meet as everyone was required to stay at home. The WAP team could not move easily from one community to another as the Police had mounted checkpoints almost on every route leading to Harare's central business district, stopping cars and turning away pedestrians who had no authorisation to be in the area. Hundreds of people who failed to comply with the restrictions were detained. Women and girls were restricted from going to fetch water at the nearby water sources in their communities. Many poor families suffered from shortage of food supply and lack of disinfectants.”

Although the organization continues to overcome challenges related to the pandemic, they have been able to continue the weekly meetings of their local clubs, and continue production and sales of Clean Girls Soap. Currently they are also struggling with providing a means of transportation for the women and girls, but are working to secure a new vehicle for this.

The future for WAP continues to look bright, considering the sheer scale of determination that exists both at the leadership of the organization and within the girls themselves. Their major goal moving forward is to secure a factory, (either through renting or purchasing) to enable them to grow Clean Girls Soap into a nationwide, and perhaps even an internationally recognized brand. In the shorter term, their goal is to produce 38,000 bottles of soap in the next year and create a greater revenue stream to both provide sufficient salaries to the women and to reinvest into the organization to create a self-sustaining model.

Overall, WAP has made great strides in not only addressing and preventing child marriages, but in providing underserved women and girls with education, a supportive community, employment, income, and a chance at experiencing higher self-esteem. Perhaps the most notable of metrics, is that of all the girls involved in the program, none have married under-age, and a great number have returned to their education. The passion and determination of the organization’s leaders has made this all possible, and the Rockflower Catalyzer Collective feels proud and blessed to have had this opportunity to connect with Constance and Dickson and looks forward to encouraging and supporting their continued growth and success. Perhaps this is best summed up by long-time Collective member, Taylor Washburn.

“I look forward to the day when I am buying Clean Girl Soap from Zimbabwe in my local supermarket!”

Reflections on completing the "Weaving with YWISD" Project

Rockflower is pleased to announce the completion of the successful “Weaving with YWISD” project created by Youth and Women Initiative for Sustainable Development (YWISD), based in Uganda. This twelve-month project sought to improve the lives of 200 women in the Wakiso sub-county by providing educational training in weaving (baskets, handbags and wallets) and entrepreneurial skills.

The dedicated women of YWISD were able to achieve and even surpass all of the goals set forth at the onset of the project. These goals included:

• Promoting gender equality by empowering young women
• Reducing dependency among women by equipping them with income generating skills
• Reducing the number of chronically impoverished women by 80% in the Wakiso sub-county
• Positively impacting the environment by creating reusable replacements for polythene bags

Of course this project was not without its challenges. The biggest obstacles faced by YWISD in implementing this project were the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and their struggle to meet requests of the growing number of women looking to learn these skills. Due to COVID-19, the project was paused temporarily, but was able to later resume with guidance from healthcare workers. The work became even more critical at this point, as many were facing even greater economic hardship in the pandemic.

YWISD also faced an overwhelming number of requests to learn weaving skills, and they expanded their training to include not only young women and girls, but older women as well. However, their resources limited them in the number of women they could train. The organization is looking to scale the program moving forward, and are utilizing the help of the women who have already been trained to spread the knowledge they have learned in their communities.

The women involved in this project have faced an overwhelming number of struggles including extreme poverty, unemployment, a lack of education, single motherhood and many have been personally impacted by the HIV/AIDS epidemic. These women have now been provided with the skills necessary to support themselves and their families for a lifetime. The knowledge gained from this project is also being shared by participants in an effort to empower as many women as possible to achieve financial independence.

Nakatumba Joan, a twenty-one year old participant in the program explained, “I have been home for the last 3 years ever since I dropped out of school due to lack of school fees. I had never had a chance to learn any practical skills to change my life. People in this village have never taught anyone for free, but through YWISD and the help of Rockflower I am grateful for the skills which I acquired. I have already begun earning by selling my products. The market is readily available, and many people want my products. I also want to train as many youth as possible with the skills I have acquired so that they can overcome poverty too.”

Overall, this project drastically improved the lives of the 200 women who have been trained in weaving and entrepreneurship, and these women are continuing to pass forward the skills they have learned. Looking ahead, YWISD will continue to monitor the success of participants and will continue growing their program in other parts of Uganda. They plan to find new markets for women to sell their products in, and to diversify their training to include shoe-making. Rockflower is deeply inspired by the work of the women at YWISD and looks forward to their continued success in empowering women to overcome poverty.

Crypto Philanthropy: Why We Accept Crypto via The Giving Block

Rockflower began accepting donations in cryptocurrency back in 2017, and in 2020, Rockflower began partnering with The Giving Block. This partnership has allowed our organization to diversify its donation streams and increase our audience, while providing donors the potential to recognize additional tax benefits with easy, secure transactions. Through this partnership, supporters can donate several forms of cryptocurrency including BitCoin and Ethereum.

Cryptocurrency holders donating to Rockflower are directly impacting the organization’s efforts to ensure more money gets into the hands of women and girls in emerging economies by supporting our partner's innovative and entrepreneurial ideas to transform their communities and lives. Beyond supporting this critical funding stream for the improvement of life outcomes for so many women and girls, there are additional incentives to donating crypto.

“There are two major factors for why people donate cryptocurrency,” according to Alex Wilson, Co-Founder of The Giving Block. “The first is the tax incentive. Because the IRS classifies cryptocurrency as property, that means that donors do not have to pay capital gains tax and can write off the donation on their taxes. If they sell to cash first and then donate, that means getting hit with 20-30% in taxes. Second, donating crypto is faster and easier than using traditional methods. For most people, it takes just seconds to pull up their wallet and send a donation to their favorite nonprofit.”

Additionally, upon crypto donation your contribution will be immediately exchanged into U.S. dollars. This allows us to receive the financial value intended by the donor at the time of the donation while avoiding volatility in the market. It also makes it simple to put funds to use immediately to support our mission of ensuring that essential funding reaches those women and girls living at the margins with as little impediment as possible.

You can easily make a cryptocurrency donation to support our mission by clicking here or visiting the “Give” page on our website.

UWADS Continues Providing Women Marketable Skills for Economic Independence with New Project

Rockflower is pleased to announce the continued support of Uganda Women Advocacy and Development Services (UWADS), as they undertake a new project to economically empower the women of the district of Bududa. In the past, Rockflower has worked with UWADS to construct a local bakery in the district of Mbale and provide women the skills necessary to bake and establish their own small businesses. This project proved to be a great success as the women were able to learn useful skills, create their own small businesses and even move forward to create small savings programs in their communities.

In their new initiative, UWADS will replicate and expand this program utilizing the help of the women previously trained, to build a local bakery in the district of Bududa. UWADS will train women to bake, start their own small businesses and take strides toward economic empowerment and independence. This group of women includes single mothers, many of whom are still children, girls who have left school, and women and girls who have escaped abusive situations.

Given the success of the organization’s previous project, the potential for the women's success in this endeavor is extremely high. Rockflower looks forward to supporting UWADS in this new project as the women of Bududa gain skills, education and most importantly independence.

Charlot Magayi joins the Rockflower Board of Directors

Rockflower Partners Inc. is delighted to welcome Charlot Magayi to the Board of Directors.

Charlot is CEO and Founder of Mukuru Clean Stoves, a social enterprise that designs, produces and distributes improved, reliable and affordable cook stoves for low-income households. She grew up in Mukuru, one of the biggest slums in Nairobi. Charlot won the Waistlitz Global Citizen Award in 2019, the World Bank’s inaugural SDGs and Her award in 2018 and the AWIEF Empowerment Award in 2019. Charlot believes in a toxin and smoke-free world and has dedicated her time, skills and experience to fighting household air pollution. Charlot is also a 2020 Echoing Green Fellow.

"Rockflower Partners Inc. enables social entrepreneurs to accelerate their social impact. They did that with Mukuru Clean Stoves and I am proud and honored to join their Board of Directors, to lend my voice in their decision making process and contribute to their impact by ensuring that we provide better access to financing and resources for female entrepreneurs in under-served markets." Charlot Magayi, CEO and Founder, Mukuru Clean Stoves

Charlot has served as both a Global Ambassador and on the Partner Advisory Council for Rockflower over the last four years, and brings invaluable perspective and experience to our work.

“I have had the privilege of knowing and working with Charlot for a number of years. I was instantly struck by her drive, ambition and more importantly her heart. She has a unique set of skills to bring to the decision making of Rockflower and we feel extremely fortunate to have her on the Board. “ Tine Ward, Founder and CEO, Rockflower Partners Inc.

A Year in Reflection: African Youth Alliance Reports on Year One of the Five Keys Five Villages Project

In 2020, female-led and volunteer-run community-based organization, African Youth Alliance, overcame a number of unique struggles but still managed to persevere in their mission to empower rural women and girls in the North West Region of Cameroon. AYA has been a Rockflower partner for five years but recently undertook a two year, multi-key approach to prove the merits of community based education and empowerment. Since beginning their two year project with Rockflower, AYA has been able to develop and build the skills of over 350 women and girls from 5 vulnerable rural communities.

In this first year of the project AYA volunteers educated women on topics including female leadership, family planning, community health, agricultural practices, basic accounting principles and more. Early sessions on hygiene, community health and agricultural practices played a key role in community resiliency during the COVID-19 pandemic. Although the pandemic caused AYA to suspend operations temporarily, with the support of Rockflower the organization was able to provide its participants with critically important PPE and even began producing soap powder. In communities affected by conflict, the women focused on identifying challenges they faced in their current situations and collaborated to determine methods for acting as mediators of peace in their communities.

Despite the challenges faced by AYA and its participants, the organization has made great strides in educating and economically empowering women to become leaders in their communities. The women were able to move forward with producing goods like soap and body lotion as well as establishing and harvesting crops from farms and gardens. AYA has even been able to issue a number of loans to women looking to scale their agricultural operations. Looking ahead to year two, AYA hopes to expand their education sessions and ensure that all of the women involved are on the path to becoming fully empowered community leaders.

CHICOSUDO and the Fight to End Child Marriage in Malawi

Lesley Kapile raising awareness during a speaking event

Chitani Community Sustainable Development Organization (CHICOSUDO), operating out of Malawi, has made great strides in the second half of their campaign End Child Marriage Now!!! Protect Her Rights, which strives to prevent 500 child marriages from happening before March, 2021 by advocating for policies that would prevent such marriages. The goal of this project is not just to prevent these marriages from a legal standpoint, but to change hearts and minds within communities, and to empower young girls, both through the dissemination of education and by enabling them to have the freedom to fully enjoy their childhood.

Since our last update, CHICOSUDO has:

• Successfully halted three child marriages

• Sent six young girls who were arranged to be married back to school

• Involved men in the communities to work as Protectors for these young girls

• Convinced traditional community leaders to champion this cause and to advocate for changes to be made in community bylaws. 

Men from the community training to serve as Protectors for young girls at risk of entering child marriages.

By focusing not only on legislation, but by turning attention toward community engagement and education, CHICOSUDO has sucessfully influenced grassroots cultural shifts in attitude toward child marriage. CHICOSUDO is able not only to work on intervening in and preventing these marriages, but facilitates the girls themselves in becoming advocates against it within their own communities. 

Education has always been a big part of this campaign. Efforts on this front are primarily focused on teaching young women and girls about female sexual and reproductive health and safety, and how to prevent unintentional pregnancy. This is a priority because it helps to fight misinformation, and arms young girls with the knowledge they need to exercise their bodily autonomy, and to be safe. CHICOSUDO was successfully able to reach 155 girls from 18 youth groups and provide access to crucial reproductive educational information. In 2020, however, no public health campaign could be carried out without considerations made for COVID-19, and this one was no exception. In kind, some of CHICOSUDO’s health advocacy expanded to include reliable, consistent, and factual information about how to deter the spread of the COVID-19 virus. These educational efforts, much like the legislative ones, are centered within communities. A door-to-door COVID-19 prevention campaign was carried out and more than 3,500 people were reached with urgently needed information. 

Though 2020 is over, CHICOSUDO’s campaign will continue through the first quarter of 2021. We will leave you with a few words from their Board Chairperson, Brenda Nachuma.

“As we are entering 2021, don’t let us [be] alone. We expect more from you so that more lives of women and children may change. Youth and women should gain skills for self-reliance, girls should be free from any form of violence…”

Access to Education for Girls in Thanda Pani, Pakistan

Village Thanda Pani is located in District Neelum along the Line of Control (LoC) approximately 135km upstream from Muzzafarabad, near village Dodnial. Thanda Pani is one of the most populated villages in the Neelum district with the fewest educational facilities, particularly for girls. Since Thanda Pana is so close to the line of control, it is a low priority for the government and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). There is extremely limited access. Currently, there are 2 primary schools for boys with none existing for girls. The existing schools are already overcrowded and due to persistent cultural norms, most inhabitants of Thanda Pani are against co-education so girls are not allowed to attend classes with boys.

Education is key to improved quality of life and female empowerment. The gender gap in Thanda Pani is widest in levels of literacy, school enrollment, dropout rates, and vocational training opportunities. While cultural norms exist around co-education, the population of Thanda Pani is not completely against young girls gaining an education. Findings of focus group discussions led by Community Services Program (CSP) in Thanda Pani revealed that 70-75% of school-age girls are not attending school primarily because of the lack of a facility.

CSP is proposing to create a branch of the Tine Girls Model School in Thanda Pani. CSP has located a facility to be rented as a girls’ primary school. The community will contribute to the rent. Teachers have been found in an adjacent village. The creation of this primary school will lower early marriage rates, empower the girls from a young age, and fight against the patriarchal norms in society.

Preventing Early and Forced Marriages in Malawi

Chitani Community Sustainable Development Organization (CHICOSUDO) is almost halfway through their 6-month project, End Child Marriage Now!!! Protect Her Rights. Their goal is to prevent 500 early and forced marriages by the end of March 2021.

Since September, they have held an orientation meeting, conducted needs assessment surveys, and completed three awareness campaigns.

Orientation Meeting

The orientation meeting was held with traditional leaders, community-based organization (CBO) members, village development committee members, a child protection worker, and the headteacher of Sukayakwe Primary School. The adoption of bylaws set, but not yet verified, by the Mulanje district council and how to reinforce them in the wider community were discussed. Capacity building with the traditional leaders increased as they agreed to work together with CHICOSUDO in the fight against child marriage.

Traditional Leaders attending the Orientation Meeting

“Traditional leaders are the key in the fight because they are gatekeepers and custodians of culture. Therefore, putting them in front is the key to promoting bylaws which were formed by different stakeholders in the area. At the same time, they are also the key to addressing harmful cultural norms that promote gender-based violence and violence against women and girls.”

— CHICOSUDO Executive Director, Mr. Samson W. Mulole

Mr. Bizwick Nakapa, Ntonya CBO Chair, speaking on the role they have in promoting bylaws to protect girls from early child marriage.

The Ntonya CBO strengthened their capacity building skills through greater knowledge of how to dissemintate information, taught by CHICOSUDO. According to Ntonya CBO Chair, Mr Bizwick Nakapa, “despite our efforts in promoting girls education in our respective villages, the [End Child Marriage Now!!! Protect Her Rights] campaign addressed the gaps, including capacity, financial and material, in support for the full implementation of the community bylaws. Although we were able to encourage parents to prioritize their girl child’s education, cases of child marriages were still happening. Now with the support available from CHICOSUDO and Rockflower, we are able to disseminate the bylaws so that more parents are able to know the consequences of child marriages”.

Needs Assessment Survey

A needs assessment survey was conducted using focus group discussions and in-depth interviews of 21 women and 11 men. The main aim of this was to assess the magnitude of early marriages in area, key drivers and how bylaws are used by both adolescence/girls and duty bearers. A total of 35 people were reached. Participants include: traditional leaders, head teachers, mothers groups representatives, CBO members, child protection workers, victim support unit, parents and guardians of girls 12 to 17 years old in and out of schools, and adolescent girls.

The survey found a high rate of childhood pregnancy and early marriages resulting in school dropout rates to increase. Almost 75% of parents interviewed confirmed child marriage is a prominent issue with negative impacts. These impacts include health implications. The Mulanje district has the highest HIV prevalance rate in Malawi at 21%. Cervical cancer rates are also high. In addition to health problems, 95% of respondents mentioned that girls who get married early are normally forced into poverty, experience abuse, lack an education, and more. 85% of parents interviewed expressed concern about girls moving back home with their children due to the marriage falling apart and their inability to find employment.

The key drivers of child marriage are cultural practices, economic pressures and lack of reproductive health education. There is a large gap around bylaws and their implementation by all parties that participated.

Focus Groups conducted for the Need Assessment Survey

Awareness Campaigns

Three awareness campaigns have been held. Read in-depth about one of the awareness campaigns held in October here.

Challenges and Recommendations

The COVID-19 pandemic has restricted gathering sizes causing CHICOSUDO to reorganize their efforts, but they continue to work diligently to reach their objectives. CBOs and traditional leaders had low capacity building skils before their trainings during and after the orientation meeting. Cultural norms continue to be challenging.

The project will continue by holding more awareness campaigns, in particular with CBOs and schools with constant access to adolescent children. Adolescent girls will be trained in peer education, reproductive health and rights to create opportunities to be change agents. The CBOs will be empowered to diseminate information regarding the advocacy focused community bylaws. Work with district leaders to formalize the bylaws. 5 CBO male members have been trained as protectors to counteract cultural norms.

Technology Has Proven to be Essential During this Pandemic, but How Do We Make Sure to Reach Those Women Who Lack Both Skills & Access?

Social distancing and remote work have become the norm as the world grapples with solutions to the COVID-19 pandemic. Collectively, our reliance on technology is greater than ever before and yet many still lack access to the most basic forms of equipment, knowledge and expertise. Many Syrian women face considerable roadblocks to meaningful and impactful participation in society, and having limited or no access to technology exacerbates the isolation and further impacts women’s labor force participation negatively.

The Center for Civil Society and Democracy have long been working to improve this technological gap. In March at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Rockflower partnered with them on a pilot project, Supporting Syrian Women to Have Access to Technology. The two main goals of this project were: to provide Syrian women with equipment and to train them to be digitally literate. Not only did the project achieve those objectives, but it also created a safe and supportive environment and expanded networks for women to stay connected during a trying time for so many.

The pilot project began by identifying 10 Syrian women living in Turkey to participate. First, they joined a WebEx group session to learn more about technology. A consultative approach was taken in the form of one-on-one online sessions between CCSD staff and the 10 participants to formulate what was needed most, which lead to the final decision on what the main projects would constitute.

Each participant received twelve 2 hour sessions, in which the topics included: the importance of technology, navigating the Internet, social media platforms, Microsoft Word and Excel application features and mentorship on final projects.

Four laptops were distributed to women who completed a satisfactory needs assessment and did not have regular access to a laptop. This pilot project found that Syrian women in Turkey have access to the Internet on their phones, but to provide greater economic empowerment computers are critically important.

The pilot project was a vital starting point to build on a program that will prove to be extremely beneficial for a number of Syrian women living in Turkey. These training sessions have already resulted in a job offer for one of the participants, a support network for the women involved, both professionally and personally, an increase in their confidence and knowledge and of course, the acquisition of new skills.

New developments for the continuation of the program have also occurred, including splitting the course into knowledge levels, the addition of courses such as Turkish language tutoring and project management, and flexible times to allow for maximum participation.

The next steps for the program are to distribute more laptops and work on the next round of courses. Rockflower looks forward to continuing to work with CCSD to make this a reality.

Participants and Training Facilitators during the Presentation of their Learnings for the Entire Program - August 2020

Slides from the E-Government Presentation

Five Women's Stories of Capital Investment through Save Society Foundation

Michael Ariamba, Founder and Executive Director of Save Society Foundation in South Sudan, sent us a report of five women’s stories. The seed money received from Rockflower has helped women with their businesses that needed an injection of capital that couldn’t request loans at nearby banks.

Khamisa Stephen - Restaurant in Hai Jabel

“My husband and I have seven children. We have struggled to raise them due to a lack of income, we can’t pay for their school fees or their health bills. I started my business with a small amount of capital, less than $50 USD, which isn’t even enough to buy chairs or plates for my restaurant. 

I received the $200 USD (equals SSP 33,000) in seed money from Save Society Foundation and Rockflower as my first loan. Now, I can scale my business by buying 10 chairs and a number of plates. I have already seen an increase in my sales and clientele. 

My future plans include continuing to increase my capital to have a sustainable basis for my business to grow. This will increase my income and improve my children’s futures by allowing them to go to school.”

Maimona Stephen - Sells African Clothing in Hai Jabel

“I am a single mother of 5 children. My husband abandoned us. I started a small business selling secondhand and new African clothing. It was hard to start my business and did not thrive at first because local banks do not give out small loans. 

I received a loan from the seed money Save Society Foundation gave out from Rockflower. In one month, I have increased my inventory and seen a growth in sales. This has already improved my family’s living standards economically and my children will have a better future.”

Florence Sadia - Hair Salon in Hai Jabel

“In South Sudan, it is not easy to get loans from banks, especially since I am a widow and do not have a bank grantee. I lost my husband during the war and am a single mother of three children. 

The seed money has allowed me to scale my business. During the past month, I have added more materials resulting in more options in my shop. I’ve already seen a difference, my daily sales have increased.”

Joice Kila - Sells Vegetables in St Kizito Market, Juba

“I have lost my husband and was left a single mother. Due to medical costs I couldn’t afford, 3 of my four children passed away. My child and I moved from Khartoum to Juba. But I had no hope left, we had no money, nowhere to live and no employment. I was desperate for help and one day, someone gave me the advice to start my own business. I began a mobile business selling vegetables, such as casava and sweet potatoes, in the markets of Juba, South Sudan. With the seed money from Save Society Foundation and Rockflower, I was able to buy a wheelbarrow. Now I don’t have to carry the buckets of vegetables I can push them. This has also allowed me to have more product at one time and increased my sales. The small rise in profits has already increased our living standards.”

Loyce Hawa - Sells Soft Drinks in Shuku Libya Market Place

“A few years ago, my husband abandoned my children and me, leaving me a single mother. Life was hard to bear. I had no means of support. I had to change my living situation, so I opened a small business selling soft drinks. However, this did not sustain our household as the rent was high for both my business and our house. 

With the capital injection into my business from Rockflower and Save Society Foundation, I am able to support my family and improve my business.”

First Activity of the End Child Marriage Now!!! Protect Her Rights Project with CHICOSUDO

Chitani Community Sustainable Development Organization (CHICOSUDO) received funds in September for the End Child Marriage Now!!! Protect Her Rights project. We received a report from Leslie Kapile, Programs Manager for CHICOSUDO, about the first activity conducted earlier this month.

CHICOSUDO organized a community awareness event where youth, particularly girls and boys from 12 to 17 years old, were engaged. The meeting focused on disseminating information on sexual reproductive health and rights, the importance of education, and dispersing school materials, including notebooks, pens, and soap. A total of 30 youths, 10 boys and 20 girls, benefitted from the first event.

Aginess speaking with excitement to the CHICOSUDO Programs Manager, Lesley Kapile, about the project.

Aginess, a girl in Primary Seven at Pasani Primary School, expressed her happiness at having access to sexual reproductive health information and what her rights are. To her, the awareness was an eye-opener as access to such information remains a challenge in the local area of Ntonya. She also appreciated receiving school materials. 

The awareness meeting was attended by the key leaders, including the Chambe Ward Councilor, Child Protection Worker, Group Village Headman of Ntonya, Head Teachers from the Pasani and Sukayakwe Primary Schools. The Ward Councilor was happy with the approach stating, “We cannot end child marriages if we do not meet the needs of the girl child and in the absence of boys.” The Group Village Headman of Ntonya promised to engage the eleven remaining traditional leaders to promote education for girls in their respective villages and reinforce community bylaws that protect the girl child from any form of gender-based violence. He said, “We will adopt the community court and continue to strengthen our links with child protection workers, the victim support unit, and the government through the District of Ntonya’s community-based organization.”

Child marriage is a prominent issue that has negative impacts that range throughout the lifetimes of the girl child. Bridget Mkomo, CHICOSUDO Project Officer, explained that the idea of engaging girls at risk with information and support before they return to school from the long-term COVID-19 closure would help them remember the importance of education and empower them. She then added, “the CHICOSUDO campaign will continue to strengthen the capacities of traditional leaders, teachers, parents and other key leaders in the community to ensure that community bylaws are enforced thereby protecting the sexual reproductive health rights for adolescents and girls in the area and beyond. At the same time, through the campaign, adolescent and girls will be empowered to speak out and report any case of abuse if happen. We expect to reach 11 villages.”