AHF Uganda Cares hosts International Day of the Girl

By Elijah Khisa

Uganda has joined the rest of the world in celebrating the International Day of the Girl [IDG] which day reflects and reminds the country stakeholders about the need to protect and defend the rights of the girl child as she is very vulnerable to many negative societal challenges.

On this Day which is observed annually on October 11. AHF Uganda cares hosted the country’s 2024 national girl champions awards [GCA] events in partnership with the SDGs secretariat office of the prime minister [OPM], ministry of gender labor and social development and Kaleke  Kasome foundation, academia and the media respectively.

Stakeholders appreciated the event which was under the  theme  ‘Increasing opportunities for the girl child’  that attracted  dozens of the girl children  participants  who as part of the day’s programs  discussed subjects such as  comprehensive sexuality education and health as well as entrepreneurship sessions and talk shows that enriched their  reasoning capacity.

The girls were drawn from across the country that ended the day  with  top performing participants  returning to their mother districts  with prestigious trophies and certificates of excellence of which were deemed as  key resource packages that they would use  to brighten their future work place spaces for  healthier lives.

The state minister for youth and children affairs Dr. Balaam Barugahara as chief guest  congratulated the competing teams of the girls for  reaching the National Girl Champions Awards [GCA] finals saying both the sexual reproductive health and  rights   education  [SRHR]  and entrepreneurship skills and knowledge acquired  should guide them as they venture into the new world of employment challenges.

Dr.Balaam also thanked AHF Uganda Cares with her stakeholders for putting up such an exclusively informative competition targeting at sensitizing the girls about their sexuality health and rights education which is paramount in guiding them to venture into the world spaces of economic emancipation, developing a spirit of self-reliance which have effectively enriched and expanded the girls knowledge base.  

 The patron of the International Day of the girl [IDG] Dr. Maggie Kigozi in her remarks thanked AHF Uganda cares for creating an opportunity which has effectively enlightened the girls with health rights knowledge capable of empowering them to make positive informative sexuality decisions that are critical in protecting against incidents of catching deadly diseases such as HIV and Aids and STDs alongside indulging in reckless sexual escapades leading into unwanted pregnancies.

Both the Director of public prosecutions [DPP] Jane Francis Abodo and the board vice chair of the Private sector foundation Uganda [PSFU] Sarah Kagingo respectively encouraged the girl child of Uganda to avoid wrong groups of friends as they may attract them into evil sexuality activities capable of exposing them to regrettable negative health consequences.