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This Is Brave Girls Festival: Young girls cautioned against ‘dream takers’

Ugandan social entrepreneur Rehmah Kasule warned young girls against people that are likely to sway them away from their ambitions.

Social entrepreneur Rehmah Kasule

“.... those are the dream takers. If you want to be brave and succeed, don't hang around dream takers,” Kasule, who was speaking Wednesday at the This Is Brave Girls Festival held at the International University of East Africa (IUEA), said.

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Kasule, who is also the founder of CEDA International (Century Entrepreneurship Development Agency), a non-profit that mentors youth and women in entrepreneurship and leadership, offered some “tools” the attendees can leverage for success.

First, she said they need to discover who they are, then “dream as big as possible,... design a plan and set goals,... develop certain skills, character, and habit, be determined and daring.”

Kasule told the audience that their “story matters."

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"Don’t forget to take other people with you, when you move alone, you go very fast, but when you move with others, you go far," she asserted.

"Never forget who you are. As women, we need to choose, but we can't do that if we don't know how to choose… If you don't know where you've been, you don't know where to go."

The festival was organised by Reach A Hand Uganda and its partners to give 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.

Below are some takeaways from the speakers.

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National Female Youth MP Phiona Nyamutoro, who said she is the firstborn and the only girl in a family of four, shared these tips: "It was always more celebratory to have a boy… So, my mum wasn't happy having a girl first… But my father was happy… That experience sounds funny now, but it affected my childhood… It was very traumatising... Over time it aligned me with leadership... It was the only space that could give me the ability for them to hear my voice.

"When I set out to join politics, the culture came up again… They would tell my father, what are you doing to let your girl participate in national politics... Don't you know women in politics are prostitutes?... Who is going to marry her?

“I know there are many girls who still don't appreciate their sexuality because of lack of knowledge… Being a woman is a privilege... It's a blessing to be part of that gender... the gender that gives life... Now there is no single person who can speak to me and say you're a woman and you can't do this."

Dr Sylvia R Atoko, a dean at IUEA, said: "Try to run away from negative energy. Try to uplift other girls... Try to also uplift the boychild. Uplift each other… Say a short prayer before you start your day. Invest in physical exercises... for strong mental power… Watch what you put in your mouth... Don't eat anything that you find... Your health is your responsibility. You need to regularly… do medical tests to ensure that you are a healthy person."

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Woman MP Soroti District Anna Ebaju Adeke: “As young people we are very privileged to have a point of reference in our lives, you have many people to learn from. Many women have struggled through different challenges and have made it and have served as great examples.

“Always know that the wheel of life wasn't invented by you, many have gone through it and have succeeded. So you have so many examples of role models to learn from, who will show you that it is possible to achieve your wildest dreams.”

Wakiso District Woman MP Betty Esther Naluyima: "Your past is your past... You are here because of who you are... Being orphaned at a young age, did not stop me... You just need to live today as a brave girl... be realistic about what you want to achieve.”

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A number of speakers from different sectors spoke at the event which was also spiced up with music, dance, and drama.

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