Institutional Capacity Building:

Policy Formulation

Human Resource/Personnel and Financial procedures manuals as well as the Board Policies were developed, approved by the FAWEU National Executive Committee (NEC) in 2005, and are now operational.

Membership Drive

As approved by the General Assembly the membership drive strategy was operationalized. Due to inadequate funding, FAWEU Chapter divided the activity into two phases. The first phase of the activities was implemented in western and central regions (Kiboga district in the central region and Kabale and Kisoro districts in the western region) in July 2005. The activities brought together the different education stakeholders and local communities in the districts. Various activities were undertaken which range from school presentations and exhibitions to speeches by different district officials and FAWEU representatives. FAWEU activities are exhibited and membership forms distributed, signed and to the FAWEU Secretariat by the respective district chairpersons. District committees were formed and a follow-up is to be made to concretize on their roles and responsibilities.

The second phase of activities for membership drives were successfully conducted in the eastern and northern regions, in Mbale and Nebbi districts respectively, between June and July 2007.
 

Home

The exponential growth of FAWE Uganda’s programmes and activities and the need to provide space for girls and members to initiate or implement programs necessitated the search for adequate premises. Furthermore, FAWEU’s strategic vision to provide a hostel for destitute female students and improve the resource centre, necessitated FAWEU to acquire her own premises.

Through the initiative of the Founding Chairperson, Hon. Ruth Kavuma while attending a Rockefeller Foundation Philanthropic Workshop, FAWEU was introduced to the Kenny Family Foundation (KFF), a Canadian based Foundation. The KFF identified the financial gaps in FAWEU activities and particularly expressed interest in providing a grant to assist in solving the FAWEU Secretariat rental expenses by making a contribution of US $ 30,000 towards acquiring a permanent FAWEU Home. The FAWE Regional Office gave additional support in form of an advance to FAWEU of her Annual Administrative Grant for 2 years (2007 and 2008), a total of US$ 24,000.

The FAWEU home was finally fully paid-up in November 2006. And though the home is still undergoing renovation, the Secretariat moved to the new home in February 2007. In June 2007, the Kenny Family visited the home and they were welcomed by FAWEU Executive Chairperson, Professor Mary J.N. Okwakol, and Committee members and Secretariat staff who presented them with a plaque as a token of appreciation for their generous support.

Finance and Administration Section at the FAWEU Sectretariat

The finance and administration section of the Secretariat is now fully computerized and up-dated, hence easy monitoring of the FAWEU budget and faster generation of desired financial reports. The Auditors have audited the 2006 Books of Accounts and these are available for viewing at the Secretariat.

FAWEU finance and administration vote, however, continues to fall below adequate given the basic annual contributions from the FAWE Regional Secretariat, and the 8-10 % overhead charged on project funds.

Resource Centres

Through ICT, FAWEU believes that the ongoing programs to promote girls’ education can be scaled-up and, therefore, plans to set-up electronic resource centres regionally to achieve this.

African Women’s University for Science and Technology (AWUST)

The low participation of girls and women in science and technical education is a major concern; FAWEU therefore designated the 2002 and 2003 Sarah Ntiro Annual Lecture and Award Events to highlighting the issue, especially for the disadvantaged regions (North and East).

The dream for developing a University next to Tororo Girls’ School was conceived by the cultural leaders of the area in 2002 during the Sarah Ntiro lecture events. The dream was shared with the lecture presenter; Marquette Brown, Director of the office of Science, Engineering and Technical Careers at Spelman College, the Ministry of Education and Sports and subsequently with Dr Yvonne Freeman, Executive Director SECME (SouthEastern Consortium of Minorities in Engineering) Inc. in Atlanta GA, USA . Both Spelman College and SECME are supporting FAWE and the cultural leaders to realize the dream.

The University will increase opportunities for the disadvantaged (focus on the north and eastern regions of Uganda) to access tertiary education in science-based fields that directly benefit their communities and thus creating employment. The lessons learnt from Spelman College, GA-USA, an all girls tertiary institution are evidence that when girls are motivated and supported in their learning they will persist and excel. Spelman College boasts of a high number of professional black women with special emphasis on science-based fields.

The proposed University will be next to Tororo Girls’ school, one of the schools that FAWEU is using to test out good practices. By opening a Girls’ University for Science and Technology, Uganda will be targeting women for science based fields; enhance their transition to tertiary education and increase their chances and competitiveness at the modern job market; thus raising the standard of living of their families and communities.

The Northern Uganda Girls’ Academy

FAWEU recognizes that in times of violent conflict, girls and women suffer the brunt of the conflict. The girls and women of Northern Uganda have been no exception; they have experienced untold suffering and pain due to the 20-year old insurgency in Northern Uganda. Therefore, the Northern Ugandan Girls’ Academy will seek to be an oasis of healing and restoration. It will be a model academy open to other neighboring countries such as Sudan, that have experienced conflict and war, like Uganda, for learning and sharing of best practices.

The Gender Responsive School (GRS) – The FAWE Centres of Excellence (COE)

The FAWE Regional Secretariat has initiated the idea of Centers of Excellence which has worked in a number of other countries. FAWEU, with the support of the Ministry of Education and Sports is set to replicate the GRS-COE Model in Uganda.