Gender Equality
Need

Women’s voices are often unheard, especially in contexts of extreme poverty and lost education opportunities. But when women are actively involved in decision-making, their voices ensure that vital societal priorities are achieved.

Our Response

African Women Rising serves as a catalyst for thousands of women and girls in Northern Uganda, supporting them to live their lives with dignity and participate in a more equitable and prosperous future.

25,000+
Women Served
85%
of the people we support are women

Our response includes a programmatic framework that supports women to gain the resources, agency and achievements they need to sustainably rise out of poverty.

RESOURCES
Access to material, human, and social resources that enhance people's ability to
exercise choice.
AGENCY
Increasing participation, voice, negotiation, and influence in decision-making
about strategic life choices.
ACHIEVEMENTS
Meaningful improvements in well-being and life outcomes that result from increasing
agency.

Impact

All our programs amplify each other, contributing in different but complementary ways to our goal of contributing to gender equality in Northern Uganda. 

‍Our program activities in education, regenerative agriculture, and microfinance work together to help women improve their self-confidence and feel empowered to make change in their communities. Read below to see the impact of our efforts.

Girls Education
We tackle the barriers to girls education so they can attend and excel in school. Our goal is to achieve 100% primary school completion by all girls in the Acholi sub-region of Uganda by 2030. Through tailored and holistic support, we improve school attendance and deepen girls’ academic engagement.
UNITED NATIONS Sustainable Development Goals Addressed:
9,070
Girls mentored
76%
Graduating primary school
15,761
sanitary kits distributed
Eunice, 16, 7th Grader
“I got study materials from AWR [during COVID-19] while other pupils in my community didn’t get any. We also get the mentors who come and spend time with us and encourage us to study and stay safe.”
Adult Literacy
We provide women with the tools they need to confidently solve community problems. 

Women come to our Functional Adult Literacy Centers unable to read or write, and before long, they are ready to lead their communities to a better future. Our innovative pedagogy not only helps women achieve their learning goals, it also provides a platform for women to develop leadership skills. 

One of the most tangible measures of the growing confidence of our students is their increased involvement in civic life. In the last election cycle in 2021, 57 of our students were inspired to run for local office, 26 of whom won their campaigns for a six-year term.
UNITED NATIONS Sustainable Development Goals Addressed:
8,480
Women participating in Functional Adult Literacy Centers
78%
Passed national adult literacy exam
57
Graduates who ran for public office in the last 2021 local election
Prossy, 34, Mother of Seven
“When I was growing up, there was no money for me to go to school. I joined the FAL center (Functional Adult Literacy) because I wanted to learn how to write my name. We've done a lot at the FAL center. The community has come together and built a market so we can sell our produce nearby. We built protection around the well so that animals can’t get into it, keeping our water clean. These days, I feel I can do anything, because I don't have to rely on outsiders to get things done.”
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Microfinance and Savings
We support women to achieve financial equity in their households and their communities. 

Women in our microfinance and regenerative agriculture programs increase their income, savings, agricultural yields, and business activities. Globally, women with access to financial services save more money, invest more in their children’s education and have more power to make better decisions for the well-being of the entire family. 

Our most recent 2021 program audit found that women in our programs credited their participation with reducing violence in their households, often relating it to increased incomes and greater food security.
UNITED NATIONS Sustainable Development Goals Addressed:
8,925
Women trained in financial literacy
$1.8M
Savings Generated
90%
of 10,500
Microfinance participants engaged in an income-generating activity
Janet, 22
“I am learning to save money, to build my business and how to borrow money from the microfinance group. For the first time in my life, I feel I can be someone. My children will always go to school because I have my own money now.”
Give Hope
African Women Rising serves as a catalyst for thousands of women and girls in Northern Uganda, giving them the support they need to live their lives with dignity.
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