Forum for Women in Democracy

Project: Women’s Right to Justice and Education Project

Location: Uganda: Luwero and Kibuku

Duration: 2011-2014

Partner: Forum for Women in Democracy (FOWODE)

The situation

Despite efforts by the government of Uganda to reduce gender inequality, disturbing demographics and worrying social trends persist especially in sectors that have a direct effect on women and children lives. In the education sector, 39% of Ugandan women aged 15-49 cannot read at all, compared to 16% of men and the completion rates for girls are very low compared to boys. Sexual and gender-based violence is still common in many parts of the country, recent statistics reveal that 6 in 10 Ugandan women have experienced physical violence at least once since they were 15 years old and women in rural areas experience more violence than women in urban areas.

What Womankind is doing

Womankind is collaborating with our partner FOWODE to:

• promote and advocate for women’s rights to education and justice

• enhance the capacity of community based organisations to act as watchdogs in the community on issues of girl child education and domestic violence

• raise awareness of the Domestic Violence Act and facilitate the development of community based solutions to domestic violence.

With our partner we are:

• providing communication equipment and training on counselling, gender awareness and human rights to enhance capacities of judicial, health and Probation officers in responding to domestic violence cases

• providing access to support services for 900 female victims and survivors of domestic violence in Luwero and Kibuku

• facilitating the mobilisation and organisation of grassroots women leaders into Village Budget Clubs which will demand better girl child education services with the aim of increasing enrolment and retention rates for girls in schools, reducing barriers to education for girls and reducing gender gaps in education in their local areas

What we have achieved so far

This project started in April 2011 – please check back in a few months for updates.