A few words about
What We Do
Our projects
Justification
VLF seeks to provide an opportunity for young women to pursue decent careers and professions through developing sustainable livelihoods while promoting young women’s rights at national level. The organization also provides education and awareness as well as career guidance to young girls in schools and communities so that they make right choices early in life and avoid the path to drug abuse, commercial sex work and early Marriages.
Target population
VLF’s target is female youth both in and out of school including the educated and uneducated young women in the communities. In schools VLI has formed clubs to sensitize their peers while in the communities, we work with female youth and women groups. As a strategy, we also bring men on board and sensitize them to appreciate the need for women empowerment.
INTERNAL ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE
The thematic area focuses on development of VLF staff, the Board and membership to better understand the issues affecting the organization and its general thrusts from time to time. It also involves the strengthening of organs of VLF to undertake their responsibilities more efficiently.
Why young women and youth?
The population of Uganda is generally young. More than 50 percent of the population is below 15 years. There are about 11 million youths in Uganda. Of these, over 80 percent live in rural areas with females constituting the largest share (UBOS, 2010). The cohort of Ugandans between 12 and 30 years is the largest in history and is growing (IYF, 2011). To this end, there is a significant and growing youth surge in the demographics of Uganda (MoFPED, 2011). Females account for 57.2% of the total youth population, and they dominate both by residence and region.
In Uganda, women are the most illiterate and low income earners. They are the ones bearing the brunt of bringing up children and ensuring they go to school. That is the perfect summary of a report released mid-October, 2005 on the poverty situation in Uganda. Women constitute of more than 56% of the population, only 7% occupy leadership positions and they are mainly in their 50s above. Despite the fact to bridge the gender inequality gap in Education and Employment, Formal Education alone doesn’t empower women preventing them from getting better Employment and there is still gender inequality in various Institutions.
In Uganda, the major economic activity carried out by women is agriculture. They bear the burden of bringing a meal to the table, have limited access to knowledge and family planning services hence are susceptible to having a lot of unplanned births, this causes a danger of an increase in the number of children who cannot receive all the necessary support from the parents. The burden of all this comes back to women because their husbands tend to neglect such families. There are also high drop outs from school by female youth as a result of unplanned for pregnancies, insufficient scholastic materials, loss of hope in the education system and peer group influence.
KEY FOCUS AREAS
The organization in pursue of its objectives, mission and vision focuses on 4 key focus areas that guide organizational programs and activities which are as follows:
1. Sexual Reproductive Health & Rights and Family Planning
i) Creating awareness and Information Sharing on SRHR
this intervention will be carried out in schools, Universities, Community and any other institution where women are involved-in. As a visionary approach, we intend to target boys and girls in schools to encourage them to stay in school by abstaining from marital relationships, talk to their parents about the importance of family planning and planning for a good future. This activity helps in sensitizing women on the importance and use of family planning. Uganda has a population growth rate of 3.576% (2011). This imposes a threat to food, pressure on infrastructures like roads, schools; hospitals etc. with such a scenario, most women in the rural district are illiterate and are not informed about the dangers of a high population, importance of family planning and small families. VLF sensitizes women about these issues, link them to institutions and organizations that can help provide these services. The focus area covers issues to do with young women’s rights with regards to sexual and reproductive issues and involves education and service provision.
ii) Sexual Reproductive Health & Rights situation room
here a problem is identified; VLF intervenes to mitigate the situation from escalating.
iii) Menstrual Hygiene Management
VLF does training on MHM both in and out of school to both girls and boys in order to reduce on the stigma affecting girls.
2. Sustainable Livelihood/Economic empowerment of girls & Child mothers in and out of school.
This program area focuses on developing young women in specific career paths of their choice by providing opportunity to further education and trainings. The department also undertakes work to counsel young women on their reproductive health rights, contraceptives and on HIV/AIDS and STIs.
ii) Entrepreneurship Trainings
Engage young women in income generating activities. VLF economically empowers young women with skills that can help reduce on dependence and poverty levels among young people. They are trained on Arts and Crafts, Tailoring and Personal Branding etc. Farming, poultry keeping and piggery as a source of income. These activities help complement crops growing as an alternative source of income.
Young women are trained n how to use technology for both personal and individual development. They are also encouraged to network and share information through making use of the various technology available.
iv) Skills Sharing & Keep girls in school initiative
Empowerment Clubs are the backbone of influencing young people. Through these clubs, girls are able to share experiences, plan and implement activities that promote their own interests. This encourages them to stay in school and finish their education.
v) Creation of women membership groups
VLF encourages creation of young women support groups that empower each other.
vi) Environmental Conservation.
VLI sensitizes women on the importance of conserving the environment by emphasizing economic growth alongside environmental sustainability. Environment impacts women negatively than it does to men. This is because; women depend on the environment for firewood, water, crafts, and agriculture. So if they do not use it sustainably, their future could be at stake.
3. Girl Education
VLF helps in advocacy and creating awareness on how to encourage the girls to join school and also keep them in school. Find solutions to the problems hindering girls from being in school. VLF encourages information sharing and Networking.
4. Leadership & Governance
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VLF mentors girls on leadership skills so as to become good leaders. VLF benchmarks on the knowledge and experience of successful people in society to mentor youth and minors to enable them acquire the basic skills like self-esteem & confidence, Personal branding, visionary approaches among others to increase their capacity to succeed in life. Female University graduates are targeted by this activity. The strategic focus area seeks to rehabilitate young women who are faced by life issues of drug abuse, commercial sex work field, early marriage, HIV/AIDS to be able to pursue other decent livelihood activities. The focus area also seeks to provide professional counseling to abused young women to deal with the trauma they experience after abuse.