The grant supports Generations For Peace programming that will target school-related gender-based violence and abuse in greater Kampala and Soroti
3 April 2018 – Kampala/Uganda: Generations For Peace has received a new grant from the U.S. Embassy in Uganda to address gender-based violence in Ugandan schools. The grant represents the first time Generations For Peace programmes will be implemented in Ugandan schools.
The programme will support local teachers and youth leaders in Wakiso and Soroti, Uganda, as they implement Sport- and Arts For Peace activities on two secondary school campuses to address and reduce gender-based violence that has become an increasingly pressing issue across the country, affecting both male and female students. Implemented in partnership with Rights of Young Foundation (RYF), Generations For Peace’s local partner organisation in Uganda since 2016, the 12-month programme will commence in April 2018.
School-related gender-based violence affects Ugandan students in staggering numbers. Studies by Ministry of Education and Sports have indicated that upwards of 43 per cent of students in Uganda experience bullying and corporal punishment, while over 40 per cent experience sexual abuse and gender-based violence either in or on their way to or from school. Such violence represents significant personal and moral challenges and creates a barrier to Ugandan education, leading to poor performance and low student retention. Thanks to the support of the U.S. Embassy in Uganda, the Generations For Peace’s programme will seek to address these issues.
Speaking on the organisation’s optimism about the programme, Generations For Peace CEO Mark Clark said, “We are deeply grateful to the U.S. Embassy in Uganda for affording us the opportunity to address such pressing and serious issues that impact far too many students in the country’s education system. The Embassy’s support gives us the opportunity, for the first time in Uganda, to use our Sport For Peace and Arts For Peace in powerful combination to explicitly address an important conflict issue that Generations For Peace has not tackled previously in such a direct way. We are excited to be able to continue to deepen our engagement with existing volunteers in Soroti while scaling up and expanding into new geographical areas through the activities we will implement in Wakiso.”
U.S. Embassy Spokesperson Phil Dimon stated, “Generations For Peace’s unique and proven approach to peace building provides the ideal means of engaging with students to build trust, tolerance, and acceptance among one another. Its work with youth-focused leadership activities that promote gender equality give it the perfect leverage to create meaningful impact in the fight against school-related gender-based violence in Uganda. We are thrilled to support Generations For Peace and the sport and arts activities it will use to address and overcome these immense challenges.”
Rights of Young Foundation Executive Director Jonathan Ssembajwe said, “Our work with Generations For Peace to support teachers and youth leaders in reducing gender-based violence in Wakiso and Soroti schools is not only critical for the development of youth in our country, but is also directly in line with our mission to promote children’s and youths’ rights and welfare. Our motto at the Rights of Young Foundation is ‘together is better,’ and this partnership epitomises that reality. Together, we can reduce and one day eliminate gender-based violence in Ugandan education, and this grant, programme, and partnership is an exciting and important step in that direction.”
