Girl Up Initiative Uganda

The Adolescent Girls Program (AGP) is GUIU's flagship program which empowers in-school adolescent girls to be leaders; reach their full educational potentials and make healthy and informed choices. Program services include: year-long life skills, leadership and sexual health trainings; school scholarships; teachers' trainings' parents' meetings; advocacy events and counseling and emergency support. In 2023 the AGP was active in 25 schools in Kampala and Bukedea Districts with over 1,500 girls graduating from the program. The Big Sisters Network is a continuation of the AGP for graduating girls to ensure alumni stay involved and engaged as girl leaders and mentors. In 2023, GUIU held its Big Sisters Camp for 200 girls and Big Sisters from six schools designed and implemented climate-smart projects. ensures that AGP alumni continue to stay involved and engaged as girl leaders and mentors to build their self-confidence and positively transform their lives and communities. It consists of additional leadership training, skills building and knowledge acquisition through engagements throughout the year including raising the voices of girls on national television and radio.

Mazuri Designs Hub aims to enhance the economic empowerment of young women through a vocational training course in fashion design and tailoring that is combined with entrepreneurial and personal skills training for out-of-school vulnerable young women, ages 16-35 years. During the year long course, participants learn practical, personal and business skills to improve their confidence, overall wellbeing and economic self-reliance. In 2023, the largest cohort of 98 young women graduated from the Mazuri Designs Hub during a fashion show and celebration. 100% of the trainees passed the national certification exam of the Directorate of Industrial Training and are not certified seamstresses.

The Boy Champions Project (BCP) reaches in-school adolescent boys with critical knowledge and information to challenge deeply-held gender normative attitudes and beliefs and improve their knowledge around sexual and reproductive health and rights and gender-based violence. The project was designed based on evidence proving that in order to end violence against women and girls, adolescent boys must be meaningfully engaged from a young age to understand importance of making gender sensitive decisions, resisting the pressure of negative masculinities and supporting the girls and women in their lives. In 2023 the project reached a total of 996 adolescent boys from 15 primary schools in Kampala and. Bukedea Districts.