Many girls and women are victims of forced marriage, violence, and sexual abuse. Teenage mothers who leave home are excluded from school and society. This problem affects nearly half of all girls.

The Nwoya Girls Academy serves 450 underage mothers and their children and gives them a perspective on their future. It is the only boarding school in the district. In addition to being a safe place, the young women receive academic training (primary school catch-up, then secondary school) and vocational training (hotel management, sewing, hairdressing, cooking).

A small hotel belonging to the project aims to give the students direct access to practical work while contributing to the financial independence of the project. In addition, the school has 44 hectares of cultivable land that it uses for its own food needs.

This project also aims to raise awareness of violence against women and to participate in changing mentalities, especially awareness of the rights of girls and women.

This innovative project has convinced the Hermann Foundation to grant funding to enable it to reach its goal of complete autonomy by 2023.

Franca’s testimony

Franka benefited from the first phase of the project from 2018 to 2020. Shortly after her son Flexy was born, Franka’s mother heard a report about Nwoya Girls Academy on the local radio. She didn’t hesitate for a second. Flexy was only one week old when Franka and her mother went to school. Franka’s adorable baby soon became the school’s mascot and Franka was one of the teachers’ most popular students. The strict discipline of the boarding school and the timetable meant that the mothers had to get up very early in the morning to follow a busy daily schedule of theoretical and practical lessons. But Franka wouldn’t trade her life at the boarding school for anything in the world. Since she began her vocational training at Nwoya Girls Academy, she has blossomed. Her goal is to train as a cook. The 17 year old is full of energy and her head is full of projects. “As soon as I finish my training, I will open my own restaurant. I will be able to support my mother and all my brothers and sisters so they can go to school.

Her eyes shine when she talks about her future