Building Livelihoods for Young Mothers and Gender Equity
This blog post features Educate!’s Managing Director, Uganda and Gender Specialist, Hawah Nabbuye, sharing her beliefs and experiences with gender equity and empowerment.
During an Educate! lesson, you'll often hear the mentor or teacher say: "Is it possible to hear from a girl now? We’ve just had a boy speaking."
Careful attention to classroom dynamics is just one aspect of our gender-transformative approach. From the curriculum materials to analyzing barriers to participation and tracking outcomes for girls and young women, gender equity is embedded across our work.
I’m excited to share what gender equity means to me. I’ve also curated a reading list featuring inspiring stories of Educate! graduates and mentors.
Once a Youth Mentor myself, I experienced the joy of guiding a class of up to 40 enthusiastic students as they built their confidence and skills for employment. It was gratifying to witness formerly shy young women develop the self-belief to start small businesses and take up leadership positions. Just as rewarding was seeing male students recognize the value of supporting the aspirations of their female peers.
My journey with Educate! has evolved over the years and I now hold the roles of Managing Director, Uganda and Regional Gender Specialist, shaping our gender strategy in and out of schools.
Educate! has also evolved and grown in the 14 years since I joined. In 2023, the cumulative number of youth measurably impacted across all the countries where we operate reached 390,000. We also achieved a significant milestone scaling our education reform and teacher training model to every secondary school in Rwanda in collaboration with the government, and we are now working to bring this approach to Tanzania.
Looking ahead, we will continue advocacy efforts to include gender pedagogy within national frameworks and teacher training policies. We’re also excited to scale this approach through our second major area of work – livelihood bootcamps focused on rural girls and young women – which promises to reach the many young women unable to complete secondary school.
These approaches are driving real impact for young people. Educate!’s livelihood bootcamps in Kenya and Uganda are consistently demonstrating that youth experience relative income gains of 50% or more, three to six months after participation. Stories of young mothers like Rose and secondary students like Peace (highlighted below), prove that educated and empowered young women create more equitable, peaceful and healthier societies.
Together, we can create a future where every young woman not only realizes her full potential but becomes a catalyst for positive change in her community.
Hawah Nabbuye
Managing Director, Uganda and Gender Specialist
Interviews
Livelihood Bootcamps for Young Mothers - Insights from Educate!’s Hellen Namisi
Speaking with the UN Girls' Education Initiative (UNGEI), Director of Program Implementation Hellen Namisi highlights how bootcamps offer agency to pregnant girls and young mothers.
Breaking Down Barriers and Stereotypes - Insights from Marit Blaak, Principal Product Strategist
Marit Blaak, our Principal Product Strategist, comments on the pedagogy that supports both boys and girls in breaking down gender barriers.
Building Innovative Bootcamps - S4YE Video Series
In conversation with the World Bank’s Solutions for Youth Employment (S4YE), Educate! talks about designing solutions to meet the needs of out-of-school girls and young women.
Publications
Ending Gender Stereotypes in Classrooms
The UNGEI learning brief on 'Ending Gender Stereotypes in Classrooms' spotlights our gender-transformative approach.
Youth Stories
Empowering youth in Africa with skills for dignified livelihoods and employment doesn't just support them to improve their personal prospects – it can also trigger positive ripple effects throughout their communities. Prossy and Ivan from Uganda are among the many young people translating practical skills learned through Educate!’s livelihood bootcamp into impact.