Engaging Young Women and Girls in Political Participation in Uganda

The purpose of this project is to increase the political participation of young women (18 to 35 years old) and girls (16 to 18 years old) in the coming elections (2021) and post-elections period in Uganda. These young women and girls will be the next breed of transformational women leaders in Uganda. Promoting their political participation will help young women to take effective action on issues that matter to them as an effort to addressing gender inequality. According to Plan International, 2018 (Girl's Report), it is important for political participation to start in the early years of a girl’s life. These are the most formative years in a woman’s life during which girls and young women build confidence in themselves and their voices and learn to take up their rights to actively engage in social and political life. It is also the most vulnerable time, where many instances of exploitation and harmful practices such as child marriage and female genital mutilation occur. The project will also harmonize the government’s understanding and relationship with young women as important agents in the development of Uganda in the Twenty First Century.