Mercy Corps Uganda’s Post

Message from Esther Kapel, GIRL-H Program Manager, Uganda "On this Day of the #GirlChild, we unite to reaffirm our #commitment to #empowering and #advocating for the rights of every #girl on our continent. This year's theme calls us to address critical issues like access to quality education, health services, and sustainable livelihoods. We celebrate the resilience and potential of our youth, recognizing their capacity to drive change within their communities. Our pledge today is to: #Amplify Voices: Ensure adolescents' voices are heard in decisions that impact their lives. #Promote Education: Advocate for quality education that meets diverse needs. #Ensure Health & Well-being: Provide support for the physical and mental well-being of adolescents. #Create Opportunities: Develop pathways for employment and leadership. Together, let us champion the rights and dreams of our girls to build a brighter future for Africa. Happy #InternationalDayoftheGirl!"

#InternationalDayoftheGirl - #Visionforthefuture

🌍 International Day of the Girl 2024: Girls’ Vision for the Future 🌍 Today, we celebrate the #resilience, #strength, and #potential of girls around the world, especially those in vulnerable communities. At Mercy Corps Uganda, we believe in creating a #future where #everygirl can thrive, pursue her #dreams, and break down #barriers. Through our Girls Improving Resilience Through Livelihoods + Health (GIRL-H) program, we are committed to improving #girls' well-being by expanding their #access to #education, #lifeskills, and economic opportunities. We partner with communities, local organizations, and the public and private sectors to ensure girls in Uganda have the tools they need to shape their futures and claim their rights. 💪📚 Through our #CCLAP (Climate Change Leaders Advancing for Peace) program, we are #empowering #girls and #women to make #climate-smart decisions, leading the way in natural resource management and creating #sustainable solutions to address the impact of #climate change and conflict. 🌱💡 This International Day of the Girl, let's unite to support the #Girls'VisionForTheFuture — where girls everywhere are educated, empowered, and valued. Together, we can create a gender-equal and sustainable world. #DayOfTheGirl #GenderEquality #EmpowerGirls #ClimateAction #GIRLH #GirlsLeadership #MercyCorpsUganda #CCLAP #SustainableDevelopment

From #DREAMS to #Reality: Moses' journey to self-reliance. #MercyCorps in partnership with Village Enterprise and IDinsight is implementing #DREAMS (Delivering Resilient Enterprises and Market Systems) for refugees with a goal to provide an innovative solution to drive refugee self-reliance. Across #Uganda and #Ethiopia, #DREAMS has trained over 9,600 #entrepreneurs who have launched more than 3,200 #businesses—transforming 64,000 lives. #DREAMS is on track to reach 340,000 people across East Africa and has the potential to #support #millions more.

🌍 Empowering Refugees Through Tech-Driven Opportunities! 🌍 #MercyCorps is on a mission to foster #local, #privatesector-led solutions that create #equitable #opportunities for marginalized #communities and job seekers. 🚀 In partnership with Young African Refugees for Integral Development (#YARID), #MercyCorps Uganda's Jobtech for Refugees program just concluded a 3-day vetting exercise for the second cohort of refugee riders at SafeBoda in Kampala! 🏍️✨ Fifteen urban #refugees (aged 20-35) have successfully been selected and are set to begin work as #SafeBodariders in October. 🎉 With #refugee youth unemployment at a staggering 44% (compared to 14% for Ugandan youth), #MercyCorps' #JobtechforRefugees is playing a vital role in breaking down #barriers and creating life-changing #employmentopportunities. 💼 Jobtech Alliance #RefugeeInclusion #TechForGood #YouthEmployment #JobtechForRefugees #MercyCorps #YARID #Safeboda #EconomicEmpowerment #RefugeeResilience #Uganda

💡 Meet Akol: A 21-Year-Old Welder #Transforming His #Community! From Karenga District, Uganda, Akol saw an #opportunity in his hometown—there were no welding services available. Through the #GIRLH (Girls Improving Resilience through Livelihoods and Health) program, he gained not just welding skills but also #business and #financialmanagement training. Through a #safe and #supportivespace, Akol turned his #dreams into a #thrivingreality! 🔧 Today, Akol crafts doors, windows, and other metal items, earning UGX 200,000 weekly and saving UGX 100,000 monthly. His #skills now #sustain both his #livelihood and his family. ✨ #Empowering young people like Akol is what #GIRLH is all about—creating #opportunities for #education, #economicgrowth, and #resilience. #YouthEmpowerment #SkillsForLife #GIRLH #BuildingResilience #UgandaYouth #SuccessStory

The #DREAMSmodel is a collaboration between three leading organizations in the field of global poverty alleviation: Village Enterprise, #MercyCorps, and IDinsight. Together, we are #transforming a growing #humanitariancrisis into an #opportunity for #hope, enabling #millions of the most #vulnerable #refugees in the world to #achieve and #sustain #financialautonomy and better support their #families.

Empowering Women Leaders in Kaabong and Kotido for Lasting Peace 🌍✌️ In the past two weeks, the Climate Change Leaders Advancing for Peace (#CCLAP) program has been at the forefront of #empowering #womenleaders through transformative training. The recent Interest-Based Negotiation (IBN) workshop in #Kaabong and #Kotido prioritized #women’s participation, equipping them with essential tools to mediate and resolve #criticalconflicts—ranging from #landdisputes to natural #resourcemanagement and #cattlewrestling. By focusing on women in leadership, this #workshop aimed to break down traditional #barriers that have historically excluded them from decision-making roles. One powerful participant emphasized, "Women can influence, and should be included to address issues at their root." The #inclusion of #women ensures that their unique perspectives are part of the solution to long-standing community challenges. The #IBNapproach fosters collaboration over adversarial #conflictresolution, focusing on common interests rather than positions. Through the 7 Elements of #IBN: #Relationships, #Communication, #Interests, #Options, #Legitimacy, #Alternatives, and #Commitments—participants, especially women, are now equipped to drive #positive, #lastingchange in their communities. The #commitment of these #womenleaders, alongside their #malecounterparts, is a significant step toward #justice, #fairness, and #inclusive #peacebuilding. As #Kaabong District #Commissioner Mr. Logiel said, "You are the chosen ones who fight against all forms of injustice." With their new skills, these women are #championing a future where #peace, #equality, and #collaboration reign. Together, we are #empowering #communities—one negotiation at a time. The broader goal of the #CCLAP program is to #enable #women, #girls, and #CSOs in #conflictaffected regions to take an active role in #climatesmart #naturalresource management and contribute to stronger #climate resilience in North-East Uganda and North-West Kenya. #WomenLeadership #ConflictResolution #Peacebuilding #GenderInclusion #IBN #Karamoja