Ugandan wins US impact award
Ugandan social entrepreneur Jamila Mayanja.
What you need to know:
- Each year, her organisation engages over 150 young women in economic programmes.
Ms Jamila Mayanja, a Ugandan social entrepreneur and educator, has scooped the 2023 Leadership Impact Award.
The annual award recognises the individual achievements of one member of the nearly 6,000-strong Mandela Washington Fellowship Alumni Network.
Ms Mayanja, the founder of Smart Girls Uganda was recognised for her efforts to empower the girl child.
She received the award last Wednesday in Washington DC, USA .
Smart Girls Uganda is a nonprofit organisation that empowers and mentors girls through Science, Technology Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education and community development initiatives.
The award goes to a person who has made a significant impact in their communities upon their return from participating in the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders, a flagship programme of the US government’s Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI).
Ms Mayanja yesterday told this publication by telephone that the award will attract partners, who would want to make a difference in the lives of women and girls.
“For the whole year they are putting out my work on the Mandela Washington Fellowship page. I have a page dedicated to my work, that usually attracts people who fell in love with my work and want to partner with me to create greater impact,” Ms Mayanja said.
Speaking about the award according to the statement, the U.S. Ambassador to Uganda, Ms Natalie Brown described Ms Mayanja as one of the most active, passionate and impactful alumni.
“We are proud of her work with Smart Girls Uganda and the leadership she provides in the alumni community,” Ms Brown said.
Why she won
Each year, Ms Mayanja’s organisation engages over 150 young women in economic programmes and trains peer educators who have reached out to 30,000 young people over the programme’s lifetime.
“As part of her organisations’ core programming, Ms Mayanja created and launched the Smart Bag, a comprehensive hygiene and supply kit that enables young women to continue their education,” the US Embassy statement said on August 2.
