UGANDA: Women in Campaign against School Dropouts

Happy Kibira Foundation's (HFK) efforts to train parents in income generating activities are paying off following the Uganda Women Entrepreneurs' Association Limited (UWEAL)'s commitment to provide market for the parents' products.

HKF is a local NGO that started last year hoping to address the school dropout rates.
“We address the root causes of school dropouts; the inability of parents to provide for their children,” says Aidha Nansubuga, one of the founders.

Under the UPE programme, parents are expected to give their children food, uniforms and scholastic materials. However, many parents, especially in the rural areas, perhaps because they cannot afford, expect the government programme to cater for all this. In fact, some view UPE as an extra burden because otherwise their children would never attend school and thus there would be no need for uniforms and books.

This misconception has led to many children dropping out of school. According to UNESCO's annual Education for All Global Monitoring report for 2008, only about 49% of pupils enrolled in UPE complete primary education.

In an effort to curb this high school dropout rate, HKF last year started teaching art and craft skills to parents and their children, making such items as decorations, brooms, clay flower pots, fibre mats and handbags, among others. This is in an effort to empower parents to provide for their children.

However, HKF's efforts were being frustrated by lack of a market for the products. With the coming on board of UWEAL, an NGO that seeks to empower women, Nansubuga is optimistic their efforts will be rewarded.

“This is a very big boost. We are now assured of market. Parents can now work with one heart knowing that there is guaranteed market for their products,” Nansubuga told The Observer.

Training students and their parents

She was last week training parents and pupils of Happy Times Junior School in Katikamu, Wobulenzi town council, Luweero. The school has an enrolment of 316 pupils, half of whom are orphans who live with guardians that cannot meet all their education needs.

“The biggest challenge we have here is that we have children from very poor backgrounds. Most of them are orphans whose parents passed away due to HIV/AIDS. There are many children who come to school without any scholastic material,” said Annitah Nabukeera Yiga, the head teacher.

The school director, Joyce Namigadde, said most children depend on female guardians. “Most of these women don't work yet they are the ones that take care of the children. We think by improving women's incomes, they can be able to educate and meet other basic needs of their children,” she said.

Carol Nakiyingi, 28, was among the parents who attended. Nakiyingi, carrying her one-month old baby, told The Observer that after the training, she wants to start her own business.
“I own no land yet I depend on agriculture. Every season, I hire one acre of land for cultivation but all I grow is just for consumption,” said the mother of four.