Girls Empowering Girls Programme (GEG)
The GirlsEmpoweringGirls programme works to ensure that girls transition safely into adulthood, receive education and training, and are empowered to achieve their goals. It does so by supporting in-school and out-of-school adolescent girls living in Kampala, providing avenues to empower girls through a network of peer mentors, engaging them through education, training and support services, and enabling them to pursue better opportunities for their future through a small cash transfer. This is the first social protection programme in Uganda directly targeting children.
GirlsEmpoweringGirls is built on a pillar of mentoring and peer support networks, which are complemented with referrals to services, digital engagement, as well as a cash transfer to the girl’s caregiver.
The programme design is informed by international evidence of the positive impact of combining services-oriented programming with a cash transfer, which have demonstrated promising results across education, health, gender, protection, livelihoods and similar dimensions.
Where will the programme be implemented?
The programme is being implemented across all five divisions of Kampala (Central, Kawempe, Makindye, Nakawa and Rubaga), reaching diverse geographical pockets of vulnerable girls.
Who will the programme reach?
The programme targets two different categories of vulnerable adolescent girls: (1) girls in upper primary, attending Universal Primary Education schools with high drop-out rates, who are at risk of not transitioning to Secondary school.
Who are the partners?
The programme is led and coordinated by KCCA at the Kampala and division levels, with support from UNICEF Uganda. At the parish level, the programme is implemented by a network of lead-mentors and peer-mentors, who are directly overseen by two CSO partners: Trailblazers Mentoring Foundation, responsible for supporting in-school girls, and the Uganda Youth Development Link, responsible for supporting the out-of-school girls. The small cash transfers will be distributed to the girls’ primary caregivers by GiveDirectly.
The programme was designed and developed by KCCA and UNICEF with support from the Economic Policy Research Institute, based on evidence of best practices. The programme includes a strong monitoring and evaluation component to facilitate data-driven decision-making and ensure that the programme’s results and impact are measured.
This programme is aligned with the Government of Uganda’s Vision 2040, National Development Plan, and National Social Protection Policy, and is supported by the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development.