David GOMBE
Absa Bank Uganda has today declared a total of UGX 200 million as proceeds from the inaugural Absa KH3 7 Hills Run held on the 28 May 2023.
The 21km run spanning the seven iconic hills in Kampala organized in partnership with the Kampala Hash House Harriers, was an initiative intended to support a significant social cause: keeping the girl-child in school.
“We strive to be an active force for good in everything we do and believe that education is a right that every child should have access to. In the spirit of accountability, we are pleased to announce the allocation of funds through partners whose work is aligned to the overall cause of keeping the girl-child in school by playing a part towards tackling societal challenges namely reintegrating teenage mothers in school, providing skills training, and improving menstrual hygiene management to minimize school absenteeism and dropout rates among girls,” said Mumba Kalifungwa, Managing Director, Absa Bank Uganda.
The funds have been allocated as follows.
UGX 30 million to existing initiatives by Wakisa Ministries targeted towards skilling and re-integrating young mothers into schools.
- Advertisement -
UGX 30 million to Integrated Efforts for Youth & Women Empowerment (IEYAWE) towards the Girl-Child Support Program to give teenage mothers soft skills to enable them take care of their babies, as well as empower caretakers to protect the girl children from exploitation.
UGX 30 million to The Association for Rehabilitation and Re-orientation of Women for Development (TERREWODE) targeted towards vocational skilling and re-integrating young mothers into schools. We commend the care that TERREWODE gives to women suffering from obstetric fistula and related childbirth injuries, most of whom are teenage mothers.
This builds on an existing partnership with Wakisa Ministries, IEYAWE and TERREWODE to skill over 500 teenage mothers and women from the Central, West Nile and Albertine regions of the country in financial literacy and other skills necessary for their getting employed or starting businesses.
UGX 90 million which is going to be channeled through World Vision Uganda to boost water, hygiene, and sanitation initiatives (WASH) targeted towards strengthening proper menstrual hygiene management for girls in Northern Uganda.
- Advertisement -
In his remarks, Mr. Kalifungwa commended the public and partners for their support towards this noble cause:
“It was quite humbling to witness the overwhelming positive response that this activity received from the public. We registered 2500 runners, both from the individual and corporate organization categories.”
Despite high levels of enrolment, recent data shows that only 53% of Ugandan girls aged 6-12 complete the required seven years of primary education, and merely 22.5% of the female Ugandan population enroll in secondary education.
Lutie Kobusinge from TERREWODE (left) receives a dummy cheque from Mumba Kalifungwa – Absa Uganda’s Managing Director (right).
This can be attributed to several obstacles that girls in our community face, including poverty, cultural barriers, early marriages, unwanted pregnancy, and difficulty managing menstrual hygiene.
The run compliments other initiatives established by the Kampala Hash House Harriers, an established club of runners.
