Northern Uganda Health Education

Pader Girls, Uganda – Nursing & Teaching Tertiary Scholarships

Alice Achan in Auckland – November 2012

Provide a pathway into higher education and a brighter future for the young women at Pader Girls Academy, starting with nursing and teaching

The background

The northwestern corner of Uganda has been in upheaval for twenty-five years with communities caught between the Lord’s Resistance Army (the notorious warlord Joseph Kony) and government troops. Young girls have been particularly disadvantaged as many were taken from their homes before their teens and became “brides” of LRA fighters. Most of the girls missed out on an education. Alice Achan and the organisation she founded, Christian Counselling Fellowship (CCF) have undertaken to educate the girls at high school level. Though lacking or delayed in formal education, some of the girls are bright and ambitious. CCF has worked hard to build confidence and refresh hope for the future of the girls in their care.

The idea for educational scholarships came after a visit to northern Uganda by David and Carol Bussau, Andrew and Philippa Tyndale and Linda Gollan in July 2008. Linda stayed for a week in Pader documenting life at the Pader Girls’ Academy and interviewing some of the young girls who had returned from the LRA war zone, having been abducted and exploited as war “brides” from an early age.

A conversation with a young girl named Eroma touched Linda deeply. Eroma was a good student who dreamed of being a nurse, but could never afford to study without assistance. Linda came back excited about setting up a program for girls like Eroma. Further discussion with Alice revealed that due to the low level of education of girls, there were few female teachers in the area, and that scholarships could also help fill this gap.

After Linda’s passing in June 2009, family and friends came together to find a way of leaving a lasting legacy in her honour. The advancement of the girls through a scholarship program was close to Linda’s heart. She understood the value of educating girls as a means of building confidence and capacity, and in breaking the cycle of poverty.

We’ve started to support an educational scholarship program within the Pader Girls’ Academy. It aims to provide a pathway into further studies for the young women, by providing scholarships at the tertiary level in nursing and teaching. Tertiary studies are currently out of reach to girls finishing secondary school and there are few opportunities for employment and improvement of quality of life. Without financial assistance, such as these scholarships, very fewof these young women can afford further education.

There is a ready and willing pool of young women who could take up scholarships. There are tertiary institutions and hospitals in the region that can accommodate the scholarship recipients and offer training at a level highly appropriate and useful for the projected outcome. In addition, the school is well organized, accredited by the local education authority and has the resources on hand to carry out the selection process and monitoring of the program.

See also www.giftsforwarbrides.com

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