Keeping Girls Connected is a radio campaign that provides a platform for intervention, voice, support and facilitate dialogues between families, communities and leaders to address the aftermaths of COVID-19 pandemic shutdown especially on women and girls.
After Months of the longest, unprecedented pandemic-prompted shutdown in the world, Uganda re-opened its schools on 10th January 2022. The closing down of Uganda’s vital sectors like the education system has taken a lasting toll on the country’ progress, eroding decades of classroom gains in Uganda. Up to a third of Ugandan school going population may never return to the classrooms for varying reasons among being, many of young adults and children took up jobs during the pandemic to support their struggling families. Many schools are under financial stress and have failed to reopen their doors. Countless teachers have not repotted back having turned to other income generating jobs after losing their income during the shutdown. Unless there are inclusive intensive efforts to support the school going population to catch up, we may lose a generation to improper literacy.
One of the most crucial and challenging aspects of the recent period has been keeping in touch with girls. For many girls, school is more than just a key to a better future. It’s a lifeline. The number of girls who did not return to school due to COVID-19’s unprecedented education disruption is alarming, but also threatens decades of progress made towards gender equality, puts girls at risk of adolescent pregnancy, early and forced marriage, and violence.
Sympathy alone is not enough we need pro-active interventions that will bring all stake holders on board, while genuinely asking these important questions
· Who is responsible?
· Why only me blamed? - not retuning back to school?
· For how long women and girls are going to be victims?
VAC-NET in partnership with Radio Rupiny will run a 7-month Campaign dubbed Keeping Girls Connected Campaign which will involve conducting radio talk shows, radio spot massages, drama and street voicers targeting stake holders will be conducted to create awareness and source for solution community-based solutions to address the vice. A 24/7 toll free line will be opened to provide tele counseling
, respond and make referrals.
We all agree that when a girl's education is cut short, the impact can be felt for generations. It leaves a vital gap in the family, community, country and the world. On this, we rare not sitting back