Women’s 26-year struggle for gender equality

Ten years ago, when Moureen Kyomuhendo was a volunteer with Masindi District NGO Forum, she recounts that “there was no vibrant women’s organisation in the district.”

As a result, she says, no one held the responsibility to fight the gender-based violence issues; mediate endless land wrangles; or question the poor service delivery in schools, hospitals, among other sectors.

In November 2011, Forum for Women in Democracy (Fowode) opened their offices in Masindi town, and the following year, the organisation—whose cardinal goal is a Uganda, where women and men equally participate in and benefit from decision-making processes in the public and private spaces, launched the Women and Girls Empowerment Project (Wogep). The three-year initiative focused on improving maternal health, and promoting women’s participation in leadership.

Empowering women and communities

It could not have been timelier. Schools had latrines but lacked washrooms for girls. Health centres had no placenta pits, nurses did not work on weekends, and expectant mothers had to buy kerosene for the lamps that lit the labour wards. Many mothers were delivered using torches.

Fowode’s strategy was to remind and empower the women and the community to demand for better services from government.

“We also encouraged citizens to participate in budgeting processes at district, sub-county and parish levels,” recounts Kyomuhendo, who today works as a Fowode field officer.

 “We also had interfaces with the technocrats regarding our findings on what’s on the ground and what can be done.”

That gave birth to village budget clubs (VBCs), three in each sub-county, with 20 members—12 women, including the chairperson and where possible the secretary, and eight men—under the budget and monitoring advocacy strategy that challenge impunity and promote gender accountability.

Under this programme: the women and leadership; and gender and economic justice, Fowode is running projects in 13 districts including Gulu, Masindi, Kibuku, Amuria, Busia, Kabale, Rukungiri, Lyantonde, Sheema, Wakiso, Mityana, Mubende and Luweero.

 Fowode evolved out of the women’s caucus of the Constituent Assembly that passed the 1995 Constitution, which is regarded as one of the most gender-responsive constitutions in Africa.

Constitition versus implementation

Having a gender-sensitive constitution is one thing and having it implemented is quite another. This urged the caucus members including founding chairperson Winnie Byanyima, Solome Mukisa; Tezira Jamwa; Margaret Zziwa, Loice Bwambale, Esther Dhugira (RIP), Betty Akech Okullu, Victoria Sebagereka (RIP), Margaret Zziwa and Benigna Mukiibi, to form an organisation to further address the gender imbalances.

With support from the Uganda Women’s Movement, feminist academics, funding partners and allies from the disability, workers, and youth movements, Fowode has successfully lobbied for opportunities for women’s advancement and representation in public spaces through affirmative action.

 “We have also secured pioneering legislation for the national budget to give due consideration to women’s needs,” says Patricia Munabi Babiiha, Fowode executive director.

The non-partisan organisation has also successfully lobbied for the establishment of the Equal Opportunities Commission, a constitutional body mandated to fight all forms of discrimination and inequality.

Munabi says Fowode has trained more than 20,000 women to take part in political leadership, right from the grassroots, which over the years has led to an increase in legislation that reflects women and girls’ priorities.

Direct impact

Kyomuhendo witnesses a different situation. Over the years, Masindi has witnessed more women embrace leadership positions. Currently, there are 15 female councillors out of the 38.

Kyomuhendo says leaders, who are products of the Fowode leadership mentorship programmes, appreciate that advocating for gender-responsive budgeting at council level is a priority.

Such leaders formed the District Women Councillors’ Caucus, who, backed by gender-sensitive male councillors, successfully lobbied for the procurement of a second delivery bed in Masindi Main Hospital.

The caucus’ efforts were also rewarded in 2016, when a motion was passed that all government schools must have washrooms for girls. And Kikingura Health Centre II in Bwijanga sub-county has a placenta pit, solar power supply, and the dilapidated outpatient block was renovated.

Nowadays, the nurses in health facilities work all days of the week, with name tags on their gowns to enable patients and caretakers to report cases of unethical behaviour, unlike before.

Before being posted to Mubende, Tinner Areeba, was a field officer in Greater Kibaale in 2010.  She says among other Fowode achievements, Muhororo Health Centre III, in Kibaale stands out.

The owner of the land on which the health centre sat wanted to sell it because the district administration had not paid him. “But we mobilised the community who contributed Shs12m, to pay off the owner.”

Areeba, a mother of two, also feels satisfaction when a parent tells her: “my daughter is now in Senior Four, thanks to your intervention.” These are girls whose futures were once threatened by pregnancy, dropping out of school, or early marriage.”

Engagements such as Topoa meetings, Kyoto conversations, have encouraged more citizens to engage in elections, while projects such as Awesome— Advancing Women’s Engagement: Strengthening Opportunity to Mobilise for Equality — fights sexual gender-based violence, by encouraging parents to talk to their children about sexuality issues, and also giving men a chance to share their grievances. The five-year programme also supports women’s movements in Ethiopia and Kenya.

Male champions

Fowode knows that without men’s active involvement, a gender-equitable society can only remain a dream.

In 2016, Fowode adopted the model men approach by recruiting and training male cadres to become agents of change in their communities.

“We identify reputable men in societies, and train them in gender issues, mediation, and basic legal frameworks for protection of women’s rights,” Munabi, the executive director, says.

Ronald Twesige, a resident of Kibaali-Kitonde in Masindi, is one such male champion. “I had issues with the way I handled my wife…with hindsight, I don’t think I gave her due respect,” Twesige confesses.

“But I was nominated for the Fowode training because I have never beaten her.” After the training early this year in Kampala, the father of three treats women and girls differently and tries to influence other men to do the same through community dialogues and outreaches.

He also leads by example, allowing his wife to sell fruits in the community market, and preparing her to join the Local Council I in the next elections.

 “I realised my wife deserved more respect and freedom; and that girls are as important as boys,” he shares.

Economic empowerment

Yosia Ndibwami, the Kagadi LC 5 chairperson, also credits Fowode for his electoral victory.

“I have since my training in 2016 learnt that women and girls can even be more talented than men, and are less corrupt than men,” he says.

“And people voted because our message and works matched their needs.”

It is difficult to protect women against violence without empowering them financially.

That is why Fowode introduced projects such as the Gender Accountability and Peace Project (GPAP) to train women in income-generating skills to empower the most vulnerable ones such as widows, those living with HIV, the disabled, among others.

 In Mubende, for instance, 13 groups tell success stories from the two-year project that started in last year. “Fowode has enabled us to make sanitary pads, snacks for sale, and engage in small-scale farming,” says Christine Tumutungire, secretary Bugonju Women’s Group.“We have also been trained to fight gender-based violence by seeking justice, unlike before,” she says.

Emmanuel Kasaija, director gender and economic justice programme, says the GPAP project has tremendously built women’s economic resilience, while the Women’s Action for Transparency has built women’s resistance to corruption in Luweero, Kibuku and Rukungiri.  

Challenges, approach

Peace Namayanja, director women and leadership programme, says though there is a significant increase in the number of women leaders, many still cannot articulate women issues.

“Many women, especially the councillors at sub-county level cannot interprete the budget, so they cannot negotiate a good deal.”

Namayanja also cited the monetisation of politics, for instance the minimum nomination fees for parliamentary and local council elections, locks out many potential women leaders, who lack the resources.

Kyomuhendo, Masindi field officer, says the district being home to many tribes, influencing uniform change is tricky. “Some tribes marry off girls below 18, and preaching against it provokes stiff resistance.”

Some corrupt police officials are also a hindrance to justice. “If you call the police to arrest a suspect, they ask for money to fuel their vehicles. And some suspects buy their way out,” Kyomuhendo says.

Twesige, the male champion in Masindi, says due to the habitual traditional beliefs, he finds it harder convincing fellow men that women too have a right to property; to participate in decision-making; can juggle family and work.

“That’s why many teenagers who got pregnant during the lockdown had been denied a chance to return to school,” he says.

Initially, Fowode faced a lot of resistance from the administrators, who labelled them anti-government. Others thought they were inciting women to rebel against men.

Amid the challenges, Areeba attributes the success to Fowode’s citizen-centred approach.

“From the onset, we made the people own their projects, and we convinced them that whatever we advocated for including good roads, well-facilitated hospitals, schools, etc is to their benefit,” she says. Gradually, some have embraced the gospel of change.

In Kibaale, for example, Areeba says women would buy land and register it in their husbands’ or male relatives’ names, fearing to be apprehended. But nowadays, she says, men have started making their wives co-owners of family property.

The teenage girls who had been trafficked from Kiryandongo to work in bars in Masindi during the recent Covid-19 lockdown, were rescued by police, but it was the LC I chairman, who alerted Kyomuhendo, who reported the case to the district authorities.

The future

To consolidate their achievements and aim higher, this week, Fowode launched a campaign to raise Shs28b ($7,800,000), to build a leadership centre. This centre will be a base for powerful campaigns for women’s rights.

According to Isabella Akiteng, one of the project cordinators, the ground-breaking ceremony is due March 2022 in Kasangati, Wakiso District.

Having opened up opportunities for women in public spaces through affirmative action, Fowode plans to use the Leadership Centre to engage decision-makers on reforms to secure women participation in the corporate economy. They also want to stimulate women’s entrepreneurship by prioritising women-owned firms in public procurement. 

Munabi promises that in the next ten years, Fowode will put more emphasis on women’s leadership, gender and economic justice, supported by innovation and excellence, deliberately targeting young women.

Change agents

Engagements such as Topoa meetings, Kyoto conversations, have encouraged more citizens to engage in elections, while projects such as Awesome— Advancing Women’s Engagement: Strengthening Opportunity to Mobilise for Equality — fights sexual gender-based violence, by encouraging parents to talk to their children about sexuality issues, and also giving men a chance to share their grievances. The five-year programme also supports women’s movements in Ethiopia and Kenya.

Without men’s active involvement, a gender-equitable society can only remain a dream. In 2016, Fowode adopted the model men approach by recruiting and training male cadres to become agents of change.