Buyende, Uganda: The Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE) Uganda has launched a new education initiative aimed at reducing school dropouts among girls, teenage pregnancies, early marriages and child labour in the Busoga sub-region.
The intervention, dubbed the Addressing Barriers to Education Empowerment (ABEE) Project, was unveiled during an inception meeting held on Thursday, July 23, 2026, at the Buyende District Boardroom. The project, funded through Echidna Giving, will be implemented in Buyende and Kaliro districts.
Speaking during the meeting, FAWE Uganda officials said the project seeks to ensure that more girls and vulnerable children enroll in school, remain in class and complete their education by addressing social and economic barriers that continue to drive school dropout rates.
Joseph Adiama, FAWE Uganda’s Program Manager, and Aida Mutesasira, the organisation’s Human Resource and Administration Manager, urged district, civic, political and cultural leaders to intensify community mobilization and work collectively to keep every child, especially girls, in school.
“Echidna Giving is a family charity partnering with us to support girls stay in school after the SHARE Project success and we should build and create the base for the girls to be able to compete in the different scholarships available but above all ensure every girl and child enrolls, stays and completes school,” Mutesasira said.
Presenting an overview of the initiative, Collins Ogara said the project was designed in response to the high prevalence of school dropouts, teenage pregnancies, early marriages and child labour, particularly in sugarcane-growing and fishing communities.
According to Ogara, the ABEE Project will be implemented through five integrated pillars: community learning hubs, agency building, skilful parenting and Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs), social norms transformation, and institutional retention.
“We shall use the five strategy integrated pillars to fight stigma, provide safe reporting and mentorship, engage community influencers and dismantle social norms that normalize child labour, teenage pregnancies and early marriages and this is our collective responsibility to secure the future of the girls and children,” Ogara said.
Buyende District Assistant Chief Administrative Officer Margaret Mpatogera welcomed the intervention, describing it as timely given the education challenges facing the district.
She noted that Buyende and Kaliro have consistently recorded high cases affecting the education of girls, with many enrolling in primary school but failing to transition to or complete secondary education.
“FAWE has always been our partner in girls empowerment and the inspiration, motivation and drive back it has given the girls has gone a long way to enabling our girls secure their future, gain confidence and become positive about life,” Mpatogera said.
Buyende District Chairperson Sharif Mangaraine, whose speech was delivered by Secretary for Finance and Administration Jacob Namukobe, called on leaders to move beyond rhetoric and strengthen efforts to protect children’s rights and promote education.
He expressed concern over the district’s education indicators and challenged stakeholders to reverse the trend.
“The figures of 91% of our children failing to reach secondary school, 73% girls dropping before completing secondary school, 65% of our children engaged in child labor must worry, awaken, challenge and beat us up to shame and raise both the red flag and education war drums,” the LCV said.
Mangaraine pledged to spearhead efforts to return children who have dropped out of school due to child labour, fishing, sugarcane work and early motherhood, while strengthening referral pathways for survivors of sexual and gender-based violence.
The ABEE Project will initially be implemented in 30 schools, comprising 15 schools each in Buyende and Kaliro districts, with about 80 percent being secondary schools.
Among the schools identified in Buyende are Kidera Secondary School, Baligeya Memorial Secondary School, Budiope Secondary School, Buyende Seed Secondary School, St. James Kagulu Secondary School, St. Peter’s Namulikya Secondary School, Gwase Premier Secondary School, Irundu Seed Secondary School, Gumpi Seed Secondary School, Buyanja Community School, Irundu Modern Secondary School and Sacred Heart Wesunire Secondary School.
The selected primary schools include Namukunyu Primary School, Iyingo Primary School and Iringa Township Primary School, although officials indicated the list remains subject to review.
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