Iceland donates 3.7b to empower adolescent mothers, children
Ms Hildigunnur Engilbertsdóttir, the head of Mission at the Embassy of Iceland to Uganda. PHOTO | COURTESY | UNFPA
What you need to know:
- The funding provided through this grant will prioritiSe support for vulnerable adolescent mothers (aged 12-19 years) and their children (aged 0-5 years).
The Embassy of Iceland in Kampala and the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) have signed a pact worth US$1 million (about Shs3.7b) to empower vulnerable adolescent mothers to access multi-sectoral and inclusive social protection services like early childhood development, and parenting support services.
In a press statement dated November 29, the 18-month partnership will allow Unicef to link teenage mothers to protection, health, education, and childcare, and provide life skills to teenage mothers.
Other interventions that this money will do are to support coast early childhood education models in targeted communities and establish mobile early childhood development units and disability-inclusive kits to provide early learning opportunities for children in hard-to-reach areas.
The funding provided through this grant will prioritiSe support for vulnerable adolescent mothers (aged 12-19 years) and their children (aged 0-5 years).
This will be in targeted districts of Kyegegwa and Kikuube in the Western region.
During the signing of the pact, Ms Hildigunnur Engilbertsdóttir, the head of Mission at the Embassy of Iceland to Uganda, noted that the program will extend financial support to each beneficiary child monthly.
“Iceland is committed to empowering young mothers to enable them to learn, acquire skills, and be protected from harmful practices. This conditional cash transfer is linked to the adolescent mother’s participation in learning and her child’s involvement in ECD interventions, including ECD centres/early learning for children (aged 3-5 years) and referral to childcare services for children (aged 0-2 years),” Ms Hildigunnur said.
Adding: “We strongly believe that these cash transfers will alleviate a young mother’s burden by supporting access to childcare services so she can return to school or seek employment.’’
Dr. Robin Nandy, the Unicef representative to Uganda, highlighted the importance of the partnership in accelerating progress for children.
“This agreement signifies the shared commitment of Unicef and the Iceland government to prioritize the needs of children and communities in Uganda. With Iceland’s generous support, we will be able to scale up our efforts to address critical challenges, strengthen systems, and create lasting change for adolescent mothers and their children,” he said.
He continued: “Every child deserves a fair chance at a brighter future, and today’s partnership brings us closer to achieving that goal,” Dr Robin explained.
Through this initiative, 1,000 adolescent mothers will be supported to return to school or acquire vocational skills, while 2,000 of their children will benefit from formal and non-formal early childhood care and education services.
They will also benefit from mentorship, including referral to other essential social services.
In addition, 1,200 adolescent mothers will be trained in parenting 7,000 children to be screened for disabilities and developmental delays, and 1,000 children’s birth will be registered.
