Kawempe, in Uganda’s Kampala district, has a population of 262,000. It is low lying and for much of the year is inundated with water. Many people are of a low socioeconomic background, with high levels of poverty, malaria, and maternal and infant mortality rates.
A community assessment taken in the slum area of Kawempe identified that 64 per cent of the population are youth and 69 per cent are girls. Of these girls, 82 per cent are teenage mothers, 63 per cent are regarded illiterate, 52 per cent are school dropouts, and 68 per cent are unemployed. Many young girls earn income through prostitution. They are the most vulnerable group in the community.
PICTURED: Hope for Young Mothers is a joint project of the Rotary Clubs of Port Macquarie, NSW, and Kampala Kawempe, Uganda.
A joint project of the Rotary Clubs of Port Macquarie and Kampala Kawempe, Hope for Young Mothers is partnering with community leaders and other organisations, including the Directorate of Industrial Training (DIT), to improve the employability and life skills of these young mothers. This partnership will ensure certification of the mums and make them competitive in the local labour market.
The project will also develop a sensitisation strategy to tackle negative behaviours. The girls will be trained in tailoring, hair braiding, cosmetics, cookery, computer use, making reusable sanitary pads, soap production and candle making.
Young mothers are identified by local leaders and recommended to the project committee in writing, with a photo of the candidate. The girls are visited in their homes by Rotarians to assess their status and eligibility. The girls then attend an orientation, where they can speak with Rotarian mothers and seek advice for their own particular circumstances. The Rotarian mothers attend a breakfast talk once a month to help guide the young mums on the program.
PICTURED: Eighty-two per cent of the girls living in Kawempe’s slum area are teenage mothers.
The project was launched at the beginning of the year, attended by District Governor Edward Kakembo. Edward was extremely excited about the project as he was raised by a single mum.
The young mothers are expected to attend the program five days a week. Local leaders attend some of the functions and monitor the beneficiaries in their homes. These leaders consist of people from different religious, educational and business backgrounds.
The local Rotaract club assists the young mums in making liquid soap and reusable sanitary pads.
The project is visited by Rotarians from the project committee, who check attendance and monitor stock. The beneficiaries are required to sign in each day and a progress report is shared at the weekly Rotary club meeting and the monthly board meeting.
PICTURED: To date, Hope for Young Mothers has trained 100 young mums. Twenty-two have been recruited by businesses in the community and 38 are running their own income generating businesses.
The first set of young mums have graduated from the program. The graduation ceremony was attended by Edward, who donated sewing machines to the tailoring class so they could continue sewing back in their communities. He also donated hair dryers and rollers to the hairdressing class.
Some of the young mums have taken up traineeships with Desire Beauty Products. Monitoring, reporting and assessment is ongoing.
So far, 100 young girls have been trained. Twenty-two have been recruited by businesses in the community and 38 girls are running their own income generating businesses.
The project has improved the lives of attendees, who are now employed and can sustain themselves and their children. The project has also increased the visibility of Rotary in the community, resulting in membership growth for the Rotary Club of Kampala Kawempe, which received an award at the District Conference for the project.
MAIN PICTURE: Through the Hope for Young Mothers program, participants are trained in tailoring, hair braiding, cosmetics, cookery, computer use and making reusable sanitary pads.