As I grew, I realised that not all of us were as lucky. The girl child's education did not seem to be as important as that of a boy. In some instances, the girl would be told to stay home and do chores as her siblings who were boys, were taken to school. I felt bad when I grew to realise that the world was not fair. That while I went to school, a fellow girl somewhere else in my country was digging in the farm, or cooking in the kitchen or picking firewood and the like. In some areas, countries and cultures, a baby girl was seen as a curse and would be killed but the baby boy would be perceived as a blessing and would be celebrated.My heart bled because the girl child was being ignored and treated as irrelevant and unimportant.
Some would be married off at the tender age of thirteen. I could not imagine myself getting married at such an age. I wished... and wished... and wished.... that there would come a change in my country.
That was 30 years ago but a lot has changed since then. Today, lots of girls go to school, are protected against early marriages and I am ever so grateful to the Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and people who came up to put up a fight for the Girl Child. I see more influential women in the world today: Internationally, I can point out Michelle Obama, Joyce Meyer, Oprah Winfrey etc and our very own local strong women in Uganda such as Jeniffer Musisi, Rebecca Kadaga, Maggie Kigozi, Julia Sebutinde, Sylvia Nagginda (the Queen of Buganda), Allen Kagina and so on. The list is endless. Imagine if they had been ignored and not given a chance or not been educated??
I am a Goodwill Ambassador for an NGO called Reach A Hand Uganda (RAHU) www.reachahanduganda.org and with them, we aim at empowering the youth. Our slogan is "Young People For Young People". We aim at helping the youth aged between 10-24 to make informed choices and we do this by going out to the schools and communities in the urban and rural areas and I personally share my life's journey so far, with them. We encourage the girls to stay in school and get education, to have focus and direction. Girls are the mothers of a nation. If they are lost, then the nation is as good as lost too.What are you doing for your community? Who are you reaching out to? Try and make a difference in someone's life. Let us make our world a better place. It starts with you and I. Let's support the Girl Child and get rid of the oppression, abuse and suppression. A girl can make a great contribution to the world too. It's not only a man's world--it's our world- both girls and boys, men and women. If we work together, we will achieve much more than working apart or against each other. I am for the GIRL CHILD, are you? Reach out your hand to her today and always.
BACKGROUND: The International Day of the Girl Child promotes girls’ rights and
highlights gender inequalities that remain between girls and boys. It is
a UN observance that is annually held on October 11.The International Day of the Girl Child gives people and organizations the opportunity to raise public awareness of the different types of discrimination and abuse that many girls around the world suffer from. On this day, many community and political leaders talk to the public about the importance of girls’ right to equal education and their fundamental freedoms. Various events are held to showcase the work that people are doing to empower girls through active support and engagement with parents, families, and the wider community.
