Around 130 million girls worldwide are currently out of school and not gaining an education. Education is the key to breaking out of the tight grip of poverty, yet to so many girls this opportunity is denied.
In Uganda it is estimated that about 700,000 girls between the ages of 6 to 12 have never attended school. 50% of the girls between the ages of 15 to 24 are illiterate and 4 in 5 girls do not attend high school. Up to 40% of girls are married before the age of 18. Around 10% of these girls are married before their 15th birthday. Around 35% of girls drop out due to marriage and 23% drop out due to pregnancy. Uganda is one of the countries that has the highest teenage pregnancy rates (24% national average) in the world.
Despite the introduction of Universal Primary Education in 1997, there is still a lot that needs to be done to support girls to access education and stay in school.
Our Response
ACCOD is committed to getting more girls back into schools by addressing the challenges by the girls individually and the school as a whole.
We attain this by;
- Increasing the number of girls that enrol in school from primary to level.
- Reducing on the early marriages and teen pregnancies among girls.
- Increasing the number of girls retained in school throughout until they finish.
- Empowering girls with knowledge and skills in sexuality education to be able to make informed choices for their life.
- Giving direct support to girls to easily access education.
- Improving the school environment that favours girls to have a conducive education environment.
- Addressing issues of gender based violence and gender inequalities that affect girls’ education.