Uganda joins the rest of the world to celebrate International Women’s Day (IWD) whose theme is “accelerate action”. This is a realization to the fact that much as women movement has achieved a lot since its first celebration in 1911, there is still more to be worked on to remove the bottle necks so as to achieve gender balance.
Uganda specifically on IWD, 2025, demands; “for all women and girls; right, equality, empowerment”. We are being urged to swing into action to unlock equal rights, power and opportunities. The game changer is in advancing issues of gender equality by ensuring equal access to opportunities especially but not limited to quality education, and quality healthcare.
UPC takes note that our education system is falling short of offering the best services. We have a great figure of pupils’ enrollment at primary one. However, at the end of the seven years cycle, many of our pupils fall off and cannot be traced. For the girl child, it is linked to early pregnancies and marriages. We must provide accessible opportunities for a girl child to continue with education after giving birth and/or vocational training. Similarly, effective enforcement of laws that protect a girl child below 18 years of age should be a priority.
Our women and girls in rural areas suffer a lot and exposed to dangers. They walk long distances to collect water, firewood and food. The transport and communication links, is a big challenge. Government and other stakeholders should move in to increase supply of water by investing in piped water, bore holes and valley dams especially for livestock during dry season as well providing cheaper sources of energy like solar power, bio gas and hydroelectric power.
Such arrangements make rural life better save working hours and give focus to agricultural activities, farming, fishing and rearing of animals and poultry. Whatever is produced should have a ready market with a value addition and such targets demand investing in Agro-processing industries and infrastructure.
