Youth minister makes case for empowering the boy child

Youth and Children Affairs junior minister Sarah Nyirabashitsi Mateke has said inclusion of boys in mentorship programmes will help them grow into more responsible members of society.

Ms Mateke made the call yesterday during the second staging of the mentorship and leadership programme for female Members of Parliament at the United Kingdom High Commissioner’s residence in Kampala. 

The programme is funded by the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association and supported by the British High Commission.

“I was somewhere recently and the boys were testifying that we have always put the girl child ahead, but [they] have now proved to us what they can do, that is, impregnate the girls,” Ms Mateke said.

Ms Mateke’s remarks come at a time when there is a steep increase in teenage pregnancies, with observers attributing them to pandemic restrictions that have left many youth idle.

“As we talk about mentoring the girls, let us not also forget the boys. Let us mentor both,” Ms Mateke stressed, echoing what Deputy Speaker Anita Among said in Parliament last week.

At the same function, Ms Kate Airey, the British High Commissioner, underlined the importance of ensuring that knowledge and skills continue to grow,  especially among women.

“We need to make sure that the funnel of talent continues to grow through that system so that we continue having the best female leaders fighting for women’s rights. This means the sisterhood will continue to thrive...” Ms Airey said.

Still in the spirit of sisterhood, Ms Mateke advised women in top positions to mentor those in junior positions. “If you keep rising alone, you will leave some generations of women behind,” she said.
Ms Adekemi Ndieli, the United Nations Women’s deputy country representative, said women in top leadership positions should be helpful mouthpieces.

“These women, including legislators, can be helpful in pushing the agenda of others who are not at the same level as them,” Ms Ndieli said.

The one-year mentorship and leadership programme for the female MPs launched yesterday will empowering them to effectively carry out their parliamentary roles, promote gender equality, and the leadership agenda.