UN chief hails project empowering girls in Kampala

Francis visited Nakivubo Primary School to witness the impactful GEG program, a social protection initiative aimed at addressing the challenges faced by urban girls in Uganda.

The program is funded by the Belgium government through UNICEF and implemented by KCCA. It focuses on ensuring a safe transition into adulthood for girls, providing education and training opportunities, and empowering them to achieve their goals.

Francis lauded the Ugandan government and the KCCA for their extraordinary commitment to the program.

"The UN stands behind you in this extraordinary program of empowering women and girls," he emphasised.

Hugues Chantry, the ambassador of Belgium to Uganda, reinforced the commitment of the Belgium government to the success of the Girls Empowering Girls project.

Minister of State for Youth and Children Sarah Mateke Nyirabashitsi expressed Uganda's dedication to meeting Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) targets and highlighted the integration of social protection in the National Development Plan III.

"Uganda is committed to building a social protection system that contributes to reducing poverty, building resilience, addressing risks, and vulnerability," Mateke declared.

She acknowledged the challenges, with 20.3% of the population living in poverty and only 2.9% coverage of social protection due to limited financing.

However, Uganda aims to expand social assistance coverage to at least 10% of the vulnerable population by 2030. The government is also working on a National Health Insurance system to cover the entire population.

Dorothy Kisaka, the KCCA executive director, noted that the program, which began in 2019 -- has already benefited 3000 girls.