Uganda Women's Network

As I consider what I, a white western woman, feel are priorities for Ugandan women I find myself wondering what Uganda women consider are the priorities for themselves? I am grateful that all those undergraduate women's studies credits have had a lasting impact on my self awareness!  As a confident, resourceful and privileged westerner I am aware that it is all too easy to fall in love with a romanticized notion of an African county, to pick out challenges there and create solutions without ever leaving the fantasy version of Africa that resides somewhere between my ears.  So I did what I often do when I have a query- I ask the smart box. A quick google search and I found the Uganda Women's Network (UWONET). Once of their initiatives is Policy Advocacy, Research and Information including advocating for:

• gender and reproductive rights &
• sexual and gender based violence indexing

UWONET is implementing a five year 7th country Government of Uganda/United Nations Populations Fund country programme under the Gender Component: Advocating for Gender and Reproductive Rights in 8 districts (Mubende, Kanungu, Oyam, Yumbe, Kaabong, Kotido, Moroto and Katakwi).  The programme's goal is to empower individuals and communities, especially the most vulnerable, to demand comprehensive packages of social services.

The programme entails;
1.     UWONET establishing and or strengthening alliances at national and community level for GBV prevention and advocacy for gender and rights advocacy.
2.    Increasing understanding and application of national gender related policies at community level.

In a website post made yesterday, UWONET expressed concerns about the Ugandan government's proposed plant to spend 1.7 trillion on fighter jets when over 6,000 women die every year (16 die daily) from preventable pregnancy related causes and for every woman who dies six survive with chronic and debilitating ill health. UWONET is calling on the government to reconsider. 

In the interests of networking I have emailed UWONET to see about networking opportunities, to let them know about my research plans and to ask what they feel are priorities for midwifery care in Uganda. Know of other Ugandan led women's initiatives? Let me know in the comments section!

Posted by Alix