The definition of Empowerment as provided by Merriam-Webster dictionary is “the act or action of empowering someone or something: the granting of the power, right, or authority to perform various acts or duties”, The three main goals of our organisation are, love in action, teamwork… and empowerment… We believe that empowerment is a concept that is key to developing a sense of community. We believe the core foundations of empowerment stem from feeling a sense of belonging to a community. By empowering members of the community we are educating the community to make a change and become players in their development. We provide education and training to children and their parents, topics that look at building capacities and resources for both health and human rights.
(i) Youth Empowerment
Sports development provides an opportunity to support vulnerable and marginalised youth, specifically teenage boys. In Uganda, many organisations focus on women and children whilst there is a gap when it comes to advocating and supporting young men. We believe young men are often misunderstood and a lot more difficult to reach. At training, we have developed a youth empowerment program where we encourage children and youth to take responsibility and action. We believe by educating them about certain topics and offering counselling and support, we can provide opportunities to improve their access to resources and create educational opportunities.
At the core of youth empowerment is a belief in young people. We believe that young people regardless of economic status can change the world. As an organisation, we hope to give them exposure to new ideas and tools to build their confidence and understand their self-worth.
“Youth empowerment is incredibly important – it gives kids and teens the courage to believe in themselves, to not be swayed by the opinions of others, and to go after their dreams.”
(ii) Women’s Empowerment
In Uganda, there is deeply rooted gender inequality that have resulted in women being treated as second-class citizens. As a result, we believe that women need to be empowered specifically, teenage girls. As the next generation in Uganda, we believe that if we empower and believe in the teenage girls, we are opening up the door to promote change within Uganda. Our empowerment programs are all about equipping and educating teenage girls to “discover their potential and live a life of purpose”.
We believe that we can see change through education, bringing girls together, and empowering young women by creating a safe place to discuss and move forward to make decisions through an understanding of different societal problems. In our programs, we have drawn from skills, development training and have met to make bracelets and beads, cooking classes, bible studies, and also a first aid course. We also have a girls’ soccer team with over 30 girls of all ages who meet on Saturdays for training. We believe that by building a girl’s social and health assets in the short term we are building a greater future that motivates, supports, and empowers. Through this program, we believe that women will be empowered to make their own decisions and stand up for their rights. We hope to promote equality and strengthen the role that women play within the community.