Reach A Hand organises festival to boost girl child empowerment

According to officials, the festival, which is being organised with Planned Parenthood and other partners -- will be held on September 28 at the International University of East Africa.

Activities leading up to the main event have been underway since September 14.

The festival gives a platform for strengthening the messaging around the rights of the girl child, sharing stories and challenges young girls and women face, and also networking.

At the festival, individuals and organisations that have contributed to amplifying the voice of sexual and reproductive health and rights will be celebrated.

They include those speaking up against teenage pregnancy and putting up a strong fight against female genital mutilation.

During the Covid pandemic, Uganda recorded nearly 650,000 teen pregnancies between 2020 and 2021, according to a study from the UN population fund.

The study found that “a total of 354,736 teenage pregnancies were registered in 2020, while 295,219 teenage pregnancies were registered between January to early September 2021. This implies that on average, over 32,000 teenage pregnancies are recorded per month,” Vice President Jessica Alupo told lawmakers.

Uganda’s population is 47 million, and 55% are children under 18, few of whom complete secondary education, meaning exposure to good education is still limited.

Reach A Hand believes This Is Brave Girls Festival will offer a platform for girls and women to candidly share the challenges they live with, draw solutions, and celebrate the tremendous brave contributions that girls and women have made towards societal growth.

Some of the topics that will be covered include sexual reproductive health, mental health, gender-based violence, menstrual hygiene management, livelihoods and skills development, girl child empowerment, and career guidance.

The speakers at the event include Racheal Tania Munyangabo, the chief executive of Tania's Reusables; Ronah Ainembabazi, project manager at Tukule Foundation; Sarah Mulindwa, a reproductive health nurse and fashion influencer; Ali Mavita, executive director of Score Beyond Leadership Organisation; Faridah Ashaba, chief executive of Bambino Life Foundation.

Others are Racheal Monica Achen, youth & innovation programme associate at UNPD Uganda; Phiona Nyamutoro, Youth MP; Lisa Kanyomozi Rabwoni, founder of Yambi Foundation; and Aisha Ali, a financial literacy facilitator at Bank of Uganda.

The festival will leverage the power of arts particularly music, dance, and drama to diversify means of information delivery.