Over 600 girls, women to benefit from Aga Khan skilling project

Let Her Shine, a sub-project under the Advancing Gender Equality through Civil Society (AGECS), a project being funded by the Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) and Global Affairs Canada Foundations, will benefit 600 adolescent girls and young women in Mukono and Kampala districts.

The project is being implemented by Public Health Ambassadors Uganda (PHAU) and will train 100 beneficiaries in tailoring, hairdressing, catering, and business, who will, in turn, train their other 500 colleagues in the communities where they live.

A total of 50 beneficiaries; 25 from Kampala and 25 from Mukono, who were trained in hairdressing, graduated at a function that was officiated by Ms Damalie Amaguru, the AGECS country project coordinator from AKF, on Friday.

The second cohort of the 50 trainees will be passed out early next year as the three-year programme comes to an end next March. 

Mr Johnson Kiiza, the programmes manager at PHAU, said their target is to ensure that at least every girl gets skills that will enable them to earn income and promote their life.

“Each girl you see here is going to train five in their communities where we are going to support them establish centres. The aim is to see that all these girls are helped as we fight unemployment,” he said.

AGECS is a sub-project of AKF and Global Affairs Canada’s for Empowerment and Education being implemented in five countries Kenya, Madagascar, Mozambique, Tanzania, and Uganda, and seeks to improve education systems at the pre-primary and primary level, in addition to strengthening women’s empowerment and gender
Ms Amaguru said they partnered with three organisations; PHAU, which is implementing the Let Her Shine Project, Forum for Women in Democracy (Fowode) which is implementing the wealth project in Luwero and Mityana districts, and Ceford, which is implementing the Sweet project in Arua city.

“We are happy to see that we are helping young girls and women under this project of Let Her Shine where the first cohort of 50 are graduating. These trainings are aimed at empowering them with skills and knowledge so that they can stand on their own in terms of getting economic freedom and social skills in their communities,” she said.

Speaking to graduates earlier, Ms Amaguru said the AGECS programme is dedicated to accelerating gender equality by empowering communities and creating opportunities for all. “Our direction is clear: we aim to dismantle the barriers that hinder progress and build a society where everyone can thrive,” she said.

The collaboration between the AKF and PHAU in implementing the Let Her Shine project, she said, exemplifies this commitment, which has led to the realisation of significant strides in supporting adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) to realize their potential.

“Empowering AGYW is not just a moral imperative; it has tangible benefits for our economy and society. When girls and young women are educated and skilled, they contribute significantly to the economy of their households and communities. They become entrepreneurs, innovators, and leaders who drive economic growth and social progress,” she said.