By Julius Mugaga/Umoja Standard.
Kampala, Uganda: According to UNICEF and Girls not Brides Uganda, the current statistics indicate that 34% of children are married before the age of 18 and 7.3% before the age of 15.
Child Marriages and Teenage Pregnancies jeopardize Uganda’s strategy to achieve results under the Human Capital Development (HCD) Programme outlined in the National Plan III (NDP and have been on the rise since 2011 and exponentially shot up during the outbreak of covid-19.
Joy for Children in partnership with Girls First Fund (GFF) has kicked off capacity building workshop for partners working on ending child marriage in Uganda who include Girls First Fund grantees, members from Girls Not Brides and MenEngage Ugandan Networks in thematic areas of Child Safeguarding, Case Management, Referral Systems, Monitoring and Evaluation, Communication and Reporting.
In order to build capacity of partners in managing cases related to Child marriage and
other Gender based violence cases. The engagement is geared to contribute to the implementation of the National Strategy to End Child Marriage and Teenage Pregnancy between 2022- 2026.
Joy for children Uganda is also enhancing learning and coordination to end child marriage in Uganda majorly targeting beneficiaries of Girls First Fund in Uganda working at community, regional, national level, in specific districts of Butambala, Kyotera, Wakiso, Mpigi, Kasese, Kikuube, Kyegegwa, Bundibugyo, Hoima, Mbarara, Kiruhura, Bunyangabu, Kanungu, Amuria, Kween, Soroti, Serere, Nebbi, Agago, Kitgum, Lamwo, Gulu, Maracha, and Kampala.
Babrah Namara, the Project Coordinator at Joy for Children Uganda said that the Capacity building event has been conducted due to great need from partners to be equipped in thematic areas like Case management, Referral systems, Communication, Monitoring and Evaluation, and others.
“We are looking forward to equipping our partners with relevant skills in managing cases without entirely depending on others”. Said Babrah.
“When partners are equipped with skills in case management, they know referral pathways, they can easily report and curb perpetrators, this will help in reducing cases of child marriage”. She added.
She added that they also tackled communication element as most people have just been putting up websites which is not enough as it needs to be updated as well as making sure information there is relevant.
“Our intention was equipping our partners with skills on how to make their operations more visible like how to communicate, document, monitor and evaluate their projects in order to achieve implementation of National Strategy to End Child Marriage in Uganda and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of 2030”. She quoted.
Godfrey Bwanika, a Consultant with Uganda Management Institute (UMI) and a facilitator at the event stated that Monitoring and evaluation is a mechanism that is established by organizations and projects to track what they are doing at the same time help them to learn from what they are doing.
He noted that this helps an organization to be accountable to stakeholders they work with and also facilitate the process in order to make evidence-based decisions.
“It is important that organizations have a sound Monitoring and Evaluation system because it attracts donors who really feel that it is accountable, learning but also using evidence in making decision”. Said Bwanika.
He cited a need for capacity building on monitoring and evaluation in order to impart implementers of Projects with relevant skills as well they must be passionate.
He said that for an organization to thrive, it should have a deliberate structure of Monitoring and evaluation function that requires creating a section and having it occupied by a person of equitable caliber, revisit the ways result statements are conducted to ease understanding, Monitoring and evaluation plan for is also key.
Hellen Kabahukya, a Communication Strategist at Solution Now Africa told participants that there is need for them to adapt to new ways where by one needs to say very little and make a huge impact.
She noted that this is only possible when one packages and presents information in a right and precise manner.
“Communication is not that difficult, not talking and showing up but drawing a plan and communicate in the shortest way possible, precise without missing relevant information to compel your donor or audience”. She stated.
She stated that information should be designed in the way that is understandable and navigable.
“It is better if the information is visualized precisely in that it communicates as well does not bore your target audience”. She remarked.
She called up on communication officers to interest themselves in going out to the field to be able to collect information that align with what they want to communicate than imagining.
Pius Kikomeko an Independent Digital Data Consultant highlighted that there is a gap in organizations’ operations regarding data management due collection of data using different forms that do not conform to funders and own needs.
He said that organizations need to strengthen their data management by digitizing their systems as lack of this will lead to improper execution in thematic areas as their data will not be in real time.
“Therefore, organizations should digitize their operations, develop and digitize monitoring and evaluation system that should collect data using tabs or phones as can be stored in crowd and retrieved at any point to facilitate their planning, demonstration of impact, accountability to both the people they are working with and donors that fund their interventions”. Remarked Kikomeko.
Adolf Muhumuza, a participant and Team Leader at Youth National for Development Initiative based in Kyenjonjo revealed that he has been able to learn critical knowledge like using some softwares, how to collect, package and disseminate information to suit intended goals.
He revealed that this will change his organization’ documentation and communication from what they have ordinarily been doing.
Key issues.
The rise in teenage pregnancies, child marriages and ultimately the number of adolescent mothers has been widely reported by all stakeholders and witnessed in communities.
The development of the Strategy to End Child Marriage and Teenage Pregnancy in Uganda 2022/23-2026/27 outlines the Government of Uganda’s commitment to address and End child marriage and teenage pregnancy for inclusive growth and socio-economic transformation.
Stakeholders are confident that, the strategy if well implemented will help to accelerate household, community and National level actions to prevent, respond and end the harmful practice of child marriage and teenage pregnancy in Uganda.
JFCU shall increase the network of learning beyond GFF grantees to the broader eco-system working to end child marriage, connect grantees to other stakeholders like Girls Not Brides Uganda members, MenEngage Uganda Network among other actors working to ending child marriage.
About Joy for Children Uganda.
Joy for Children is a child’s right organization working to prevent violence against children, violence against women, Child marriage and teenage pregnancy through advocacy, legal support coordination and psychosocial support.
Joy for Children Uganda coordinates the Girls First Fund (GFF) grantees in Uganda, the Girls not Brides Uganda: The partnership to end child marriage in Uganda.
JFCU also coordinates the MenEngage Uganda Network- a network of Civil Society Organizations working to engage men and boys in gender inequalities and preventing Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and others.