Equal Opportunities
EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES
We seek to promote equality between women and men irrespective of gender, religion, cultural beliefs, age and race. We recognize that in Uganda, social exclusion of the most vulnerable groups particularly women and the girl child in society is evident and continues unabated. Women and girls in Uganda continue to be denied opportunities especially in areas of property/land rights, Education, Employment, Political rights, Reproductive health rights and access to justice.
How TERREWODE approaches the problem:
Though faced with challenges like wide spread ignorance and limited commitment by Government and other stakeholders, TERREWODE is fighting tirelessly to ensure that women and girls have similar opportunities when it comes to property and land rights. We have laid a strategy of building community capacity and creating awareness to advocate for land rights especially of rural women and girls through training, information sharing, psycho-social support services, partnership and research to allow females inherit property especially land.
Education is key to any developmental process and has implications for different aspects of a woman’s life such as participation in decision making and access to employment. Despite the benefits of education, parents and care takers in rural communities prefer taking boys through school than girls-educating girls is seen as a waste of time and they are only looked at as a source of wealth (through bride price). It is as a result of this that TERREWODE has embarked on promoting girl child education through advocating for not only increased enrollment, but also completion of women and girls in schools. We have successfully engaged in a series of consultative and advocacy meetings on the rights of women and girl’s education with District, Political and Civil Leadership, Teachers and Parents, Clan leaders and Religious authorities including women and community groups. TERREWODE is associated with the formulation of the District ordinances aimed at promoting girls education in most of our operation constituencies. Our Annual Girl Child Conference and School Intervention programs have played a tremendous role in empowering girls about their right to education and encouraging them to stay in school which will better their opportunities in life and in turn facilitate the struggle for equality.
Poverty is linked to lack of access to equal opportunities, inequitable distribution of resources and marginalization of vulnerable groups. As a result, TERREWODE aims at creating equal opportunities for women in the employment field in order to economically empower them and fight poverty in the process. We are involved in promoting vocational training for girls and women so as to increase their involvement in income generating activities which will improve family welfare and also raise their status in society.
TERREWODE in order to up hold equal opportunities in Politics especially concerning Democracy and Good governance, an area dominated by men has embarked on strategies aiming at strengthening women councils from the LC 1 up to district level in order to effectively influence pro women policies, establishing women leaders’ forum, and establishment of women anti corruption pressure groups. We are also advocating for effective mechanisms for women to influence policy and participate in decision making, increased awareness of rights and obligations to monitor and demand for accountability from leaders, reduced gaps in the sharing of information by the elite women policy makers and also equitable allocation of national resources to issues of gender equality and women empowerment in the multi party political dispensation.
We believe that sexual reproductive rights are basic for gender equality in society therefore we are promoting them through advocating for increased resource allocation, policy formulation and implementation to protect women and girl children from abuse and violation of their reproductive rights. We are also building capacity for vulnerable women and girl children community structures, groups, organs and institutions in our districts of operation to demand for equal opportunities in functional health care systems that respond to female reproductive health issues.
TERREWODE has been recognized by the Uganda Women’s Network as one of the Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) at the forefront of championing the move of women emancipation and empowerment. This has been achieved through supporting and caring for vulnerable and needy women especially those suffering from obstetric fistula. Most of the victims of this deadly maternal health complication (fistula) are rejected, ridiculed and denied socio economic, political and cultural opportunities in their communities. By identifying, treating, empowering and reintegrating these women and girls in society, TERREWODE plays a significant role in helping them receive similar treatment and chances.
TERREWODE is contributing to national and international policy and program development aimed at upholding equality. In addition, we are encouraging collaborations among District managers to mobilize resources to address the plight of vulnerable women. We are looking forward to increasing and strengthening collaborations in order to support participation of women and girls in all spheres of life, which will be a milestone in promoting equality and equity.
