Only 20% of the pupils in upper primary (Primary 5, 6 and 7) are girls. Of the 20% girls, only 10% cross over to secondary level with only 2% of these girls completing senior four. 60% of the girls drop out of school because of poverty characterized by lack of food, sanitary pads, school fees and scholastic materials. 98% of the girls that fall out of school get married in the next one year.
One girl Alinaitwe during the appraisal said that she got pregnant after a boy bought her books worth less than one pound. The boy later denied responsibility for the pregnancy and does not look after the child. Alinaitwe dropped out of school before even using the books.
Young girls often share their sanitary towels (usually scrap cloth) with their mothers or other women in the household, though they are washed thoroughly between uses making venereal diseases rampant in spite washing shared sanitary pads. For the girls that go to school, they miss school for at least four days a month and 48 days a year because of lack of sanitary pads to use during menstruation. Issues about menstruation are not talked about due to embarrassment, lack of understanding and the low priority of such problems in the face of starvation, violence, death, illiteracy and the many struggles of daily life. These women are living in absolute poverty and entrenched in poverty.
This is no different for Josephine Nakakande, the founder and current Executive Director Environmental Conservation and Agricultural Enhancement Uganda (Eco-Agric Uganda) https://www.ecoagricuganda.org
Though most of the things were bought, two important things were not bought for Josephine. This is not because the parents didn’t want, but they didn’t have money left to buy them. These were a towel and a pair of sandals. Hence, Josephine went to the showers bare footed and would not wipe herself after bathing. Whenever she would go for the shower, girls laughed, bul;lied and teased Josephine. At one moment she chose to bathe first. But the dormitories would not be opened until all the girls are back to the dormitory. When she chose to bathe after every one, it would be late and would be beaten by the matron because of having a shower late. Josephine spent all her time at school unhappy and very gllomy because she was very worried of shower time. Though she was a healthy bright active girl, when she had just joined high school, she spent all the time sickly because she was worried of shower time.
As she planned to run away from school, with all plans finalised, and one day all the girls were surrounding her laughing at her and teasing her, Josephine saw some girls giving her a pair of sandals and a towel. Though they were old, they saved Josephine from the daily teasing and bullying and its at this time that Josephine counselled her plans of running away from school.
Currently, Josephine holds a Doctorate in Business Management is one of the founders of Environmental Conservation and Agricultural Enhancement Uganda (Eco-Agric Uganda) and currently is the Executive Director.
From inception, Eco-Agric Uganda has supported over 64580 people improve their livehoods sustainably. It was formed to:-
Vision: A healthy and empowered population living in a sustainable environment.
Mission: To improve community livelihoods through rights empowerment, sustainable agricultural production; environmental conservation; health education and promotion; economic empowerment and nutrition; skills development; and educational support.
Goal: To contribute to improved livelihoods of communities and health outcomes in Uganda.
The Funds will be used as follows
58 children in primary section
Each girl needs $30 X 58 girl’s X 3 terms =$5220
32 children in secondary section
Each girl needs $85 X 32 girl’s X 3 terms =$8160
3 girls studying nursing
Each girl uses $570 per semester. They are 3 girl’s X 3 semesters in a year =$5130
Total funds needed for 93 children for the whole of 2023 are $18510
Plus, Donor box charges of 4% = $740
Total Funds needed =$19250
PLEASE NOTE
Eco-Agric Uganda is fiscally sponsored by Angels for Angels.
website https://www.angelsforangels.net
EIN is 275180670
Fiscal sponsorship started in 2019.
“As required by federal tax law, once a donation has been processed, it becomes the property of Angels for Angels, and Angels for Angels has exclusive legal control over the donated funds. Angels for Angels will make a good faith effort to utilize a gift for the purposes of the project named, however, Angels for Angels reserves the right to re-grant gifts where, in Angels for Angels sole discretion, the recommended project is not furthering its specified charitable purposes or when, for example, such project falls out of compliance with a federal or state regulatory authority. If Angels for Angels cannot regrant a donation to or for the purposes of a project that you have recommended, Angels for Angels may in its sole discretion select an alternate recipient, expend the funds in furtherance of the intended charitable purpose itself, or contact you for a different recommendation. Angels for Angels is headquartered in Seattle, Washington. Financial and other information about Angels for Angels’s purpose, programs, and activities can be obtained from the Charities Program at 1-800-332-4483, or www.sos.wa.gov/charities.”