About the Campaign
SUPPORTING SINGLE MOTHERS AND ADOLESCENT GIRLS IN UGANDA
We support single mothers and adolescent girls living in slums in Uganda. The programme takes place in Kamwokya and Kyebando, densely populated slum areas in Kampala, Uganda’s capital, with an estimated 40,000 inhabitants.
From 2017 to 2021 the programme was run with our partner Creative Arts 256. As the cooperation with partners was concluded, from 2021 Action10 continues to provide business loans for starting beauty salons to single mothers and adolescent girls who graduated from the School of Beauty.
THE CHALLENGES OF LIFE IN KAMWOKYA AND KYEBANDO SLUMS
The majority of the people living in slum areas are children and youth.
The families are poor and illiterate, and children do not have the possibility to attend a school or are eager to drop off from school early.
Because of the challenging economic situation, unemployment, and rural-urban migration, many men have dropped their responsibilities to look after their families.
Domestic violence, early age marriages, and polygamy create a high number of single mothers.
Also, some adolescent girls resort to prostitution, which leads to unwanted pregnancies, getting HIV/AIDS, and eventually death.
EDUCATION FOR SINGLE MOTHERS AND ADOLESCENT GIRLS IN SMALL BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
The programme’s mission is to empower, inform, and rehabilitate single mothers and adolescent girl school dropouts living in slums. All the activities and operations aim to help and guide the youth on issues in transitioning from childhood to adulthood.
From 2017 to 2021 we worked on the programme with Creative Arts 256, as our local partner. They were educating single mothers and adolescent girls in financial knowledge, saving culture, and small business management. They advocated for child-to-parent communication in families to avoid early pregnancies and school dropouts. They offered links to HIV prevention, treatment, and service care providers.
THE PROGRAMME ACHIEVEMENT – A CHAIN OF BEAUTY SHOPS
In 2020 Chusa School of Beauty was started. It aimed at girls between the ages of ten and twenty-five.
Forty students have now graduated from the School. With the newly acquired knowledge about salon management and skills like plaiting, braiding, weaving, styling, and makeup, these girls and women are ready to join hands and use acquired skills in the newly founded salons.
RISE Salons are a chain of beauty shops located in and around Kamwokya. It is established to provide graduates from Chusa School of Beauty with employment opportunities.
The salons will offer hairdressing, styling, cosmetology, and bridal services and will be financially sustainable. Each salon will be managed by a professional, and graduate girls and young women will be employed in these saloons. At the same time, HR&S RISE Center Uganda will be providing further coaching and auditing.
The salon team members receive the start-up loan for buying the equipment needed for the work. Each group has a joint responsibility to pay back the loan. After paying back with 5% interest, they will be entitled to a new loan.
Core values for creating a positive and productive atmosphere are agreed upon: accountability, trust and respect for others, self-respect and self-discipline, drug use awareness, cleaning of the salon, and good language and polite behaviour.
ON THE WAY TO GET THE FIRST RISE SALON UP AND RUNNING IN 2022
The location where the first RISE Salon will be open is now found. It is located a little bit outside the slum area. One of the women who was educated to work in a salon is involved in the preparations for establishing the salon.
We are working on launching the RISE Salons as soon as possible, and we are grateful for your contributions to the project. Thank you!
Read more about RISE Salons establishment on the “Small-scale businesses in urban vulnerable settlements in Uganda” programme page (HR&S website).
USER-DRIVEN PROGRAMME, ACCOUNTABILITY MANAGEMENT, AND SUSTAINABLE ECONOMY
All Action10 programmes are user-driven. It means that the partners and local social entrepreneurs ideate, initiate, and manage the programme.
Accountability management is one of our ActionAreas. We offer this service to our loan takers and partners. Read more about how we work regarding accountability management and sustainable economy on Human Rights & Science website.