Some of the Teenage girls from Zombo district who got a second chance in education and skills training Photo By Joseph Jurua
By Joseph Jurua
Nebbi: Liberty Afoyorwoth, 20, dropped out of Padea Primary School in primary six when her parents died.
“Every time I went to school, the teachers would tell me to go back home because I didn’t have school fees,” Afoyorwoth said.
Afoyorwoth later got pregnant at the age of 18 years. She resorted to doing odd jobs to earn a living after the man who impregnated her abandoned them.
Each time she completed a small task in the garden, she would be paid Shs 3,000, which she used to buy food for herself and the baby, now two years old.
When the Prevention and Response to Teenage Pregnancy Through Life Skills, Income, and Formal Education Re-entry (PRETTIER) project with funding from the European Union, came in 2023, it helped to return Afoyorwoth and other young girls to school.
Rural Initiative for Community Empowerment (RICE) West Nile (lead partner) in Consortium with PALM Corps and Sustainable Plan and Action for Community Empowerment (SPACE) are local NGOs implementing the PRETTIER Project.
Through the project, Zombo and Madi-Okollo were given Shs2.2b to fight teenage pregnancy, child marriages, and school dropout, and build the economic resilience of out-of-school girls from 2023 to 2025.
Thousands to benefit
The project targets 16,000 girls and 16,000 boys of school age in eight schools in the two districts.
Because of the project, Afoyorwoth was trained in tailoring and is hopeful to start having a steady flow of income through tailoring and training others in the same skill.
At least 279 out-of-school adolescent girls, young women, and boys have already been trained in life skills, technical and vocational skills under the project.
Pax Sakari, the Executive Director of RICE West Nile challenged the beneficiaries to ensure they own the project and become change agents in the communities.
Sakari pledged that those who have acquired life skills and skills training in tailoring, hairdressing, and other disciplines will be given start-up kits to start practicing.
“The startup tools should be able to help the girls manage at a group level and grow together,” Sakari said.
Elizabeth Ongom, the European Union Delegation officer in charge of Civil Society and Youth is pleased with the intervention for the girls.
“I am happy I have seen many young faces who have been given a second chance in their education after all the challenges they faced. This gives us hope that the intervention is on the right track,” Ongom said.
Teenage pregnancies in Zombo
Records from Zombo District indicate an increasing trend in teenage pregnancies and child marriages.
Samuel Ocaki, the Community Development Officer (CDO) of Zombo district, revealed that the district registered 9,000 cases of teenage pregnancy from 2020 to 2021, but from 2021 to 2024, the cases increased to 12,700.
Ocaki explained that the figures, which were obtained from health facilities, indicate that out of every 100 women who go for antenatal services, 27.7% are underage.
He challenged parents to start good parenting and ensure they protect their girls to complete their education alongside the boys.
Alur King speaks out
His Royal Majesty, Ubimu Philip Olarker Rauni III, the Alur King has come out to condemn parents who marry off their girls for little money, instead of educating them for a better future.
His Royal Majesty, Rauni III, argued that if parents fail in responsibility, then there will be a serious problem in society.
“Once you educate your girl and offer a second chance, you have to be patient for a long-term wealth investment… Parents should be the first line of responsibility,” he said.
Bite of Alur King on parents who force children to parry early
He advised the leaders in West Nile to unite for joint and common development of the region and asked them to keep spreading the message to ensure society is a better place for the girl child.
In the year 2021, the King made a pronouncement to ensure the girl child is protected and the rights of women and children are respected, through the removal of cultural practices that violate children’s and women’s rights.
The King also denounced his subjects who engage in any act of child marriage, domestic violence, rape, and defilement.
