FAWE to use $27 million to educate marginalized communities, girls 

The Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE) in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation has allocated 27 million dollars in a seven-year extension project to support the education sector. The project will also offer education services in marginalized communities and to young women (girls), in Uganda. 

FAWE, Uganda Chapter, is one of the 35 National Chapters founded in 1992 with the goal of accelerating female participation in education and closing the gender gap within the education system at all levels in the country. 

In their announcement for the project extension, the organization now aims to empower over 1,800 young people across the country.

The first phase of the program was implemented in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation since 2017. 

In phase one, 334 (208 young women and 126 young men) were recruited as participants, of which 271 have completed and graduated from the program. 225 participants have secured formal and informal employment. 

Following the successful implementation of the program, dubbed the Higher Education Access Program (HEAP) in Uganda, the program has been further extended to ten countries including Ethiopia, Ghana, Liberia, Malawi, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, Senegal, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

Mr Timothy Musoke Ssejoba, represented the State Minister of Higher Education, Dr John Chrysostom Muyingo during the launch in Kampala on April 12. He asked development partners to consider more remote areas in the country as they advance their education goals for young people. 

“They have helped very many youths in the country. They should also focus on far areas like Bundibujjo where there is high level of school dropout most especially the girl child,” Ssejoba said. 

Ms Susan Opok Tumusiime, the Executive Director of FAWE Uganda said that the partnership comes in timely to supplement the work that was already going on. 

"This expanded partnership with the Mastercard Foundation will allow us to build on the success of our previous work and reach even more young women and men in Uganda," Ms Tumusiime said.

Headquartered in Canada, the MasterCard Foundation  Scholars Program has enabled over 45,000 young people pursue secondary and tertiary education in Sub- Saharan African Countries, and brought together a pan-African and global network of partners.

Dr Christine Oryema, the Board  Chairperson FAWE  Uganda, said; 

"FAWE is proud to continue working with MasterCard in Uganda  to elevate young people and create meaningful opportunities for them to thrive." 

The target participants are the most marginalized young women and men, including those with disabilities and from refugee communities, aged 15 to 25, who have completed secondary education.

The selected participants will be supported to transition into tertiary education and later entrepreneurship (self-employment) and/or employment.