International Women’s Day in Uganda
“We march and dance and even eat meat,” says Joyce, tailoring instructor at ChildVoice’s Lukome Centre, describing her celebration of International Women’s Day each year in March. “It is a very good day where we get together with other women and can just be happy.”
2011 marks the 100th Anniversary of International Women’s Day, celebrated annually in countries throughout the world to encourage equality and opportunity for women. In Uganda, Women’s Day is a national holiday set aside to recognize women’s contributions to their families and communities, as well as to magnify the need for improved treatment and rights for women.
Beatrice, ChildVoice’s early childhood development teacher at the Lukome Centre, celebrates Women’s Day in Gulu. “Everyone gathers at Kauna Grounds and some ladies in the government speak to us and encourage us,” she says. “They tell us ladies about all the good things they have been doing and inspire us to do good things with our lives, too—to help others, to be strong, and to be good examples for our country.”
Ugandan Women: Challenged by Customs
While Uganda has made significant progress in promoting and protecting the rights and dignity of women, a myriad of customary practices among the Ugandan people contradict the country’s laws against discrimination and violence toward women. Enforcement of the laws is lax and the deeply rooted patriarchal traditions are slow to change. For example, the legal age for marriage is 18, but arranged marriages for girls as young as 15 are common. Recently enacted laws against domestic violence have done little to change women’s circumstances. It is estimated that more than half of Ugandan women have suffered domestic violence at the hands of their partners.
Daily chores are typically completed by women, sometimes with help from the children. In addition to cooking and laundry, women also typically work the land and fetch the water—both of which often require hours of walking to and from the fields or the well. Most women did not complete secondary school and lack vocational skills that would open up more opportunities to them.
Making a Difference at the Lukome Centre
When ChildVoice began working in northern Uganda in 2006, initial
research clearly demonstrated that the most vulnerable among formerly abducted youth were the young girls returning with children. With cultural norms already stacked against them as women, the girls’ faced even tougher challenges because they were former abductees and had children who had been fathered by rebel commanders.
ChildVoice structured its programs to restore each girl’s dignity, empower her to believe in herself and provide her with the tools to be successful — as a person, as a mother and as a wage-earner. Fifty-six young women have now benefited from the residential program at the Lukome Centre and are now living and working independently in their communities. Many are also sharing their knowledge with other young women, a true indication of their new-found self-confidence. Seventeen new young women enter the 18-month program at Lukome Centre in April 2011.
Celebrating Women!
On International Women’s Day—celebrated by many in a similar fashion to Mother’s Day in America— women’s roles in the family and community are recognized. “You cannot be mean to a woman on that day,” Joyce says. “You have to show your respect for her and tell her ‘thank you’ for everything.”
Winnie, counselor at the Lukome Centre, adds: “Women’s Day is the one day of the year that women are recognized for their important role in society. My husband and son cooked a special meal for me and even got me flowers.”
This month, as we remember and observe International Women’s Day, may all women around the world stand up and embrace our role. May we embrace one another, and our power to make a difference in our world. May we extend our hands in support of one another as we live out our purpose.
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