Title: Strengthening Employment and Social Entrepreneurship Skills for Female Youth with Disabilities in Order to Overcome Multiple Marginalization in Central Uganda

This 2-year pilot project proposal seeks to undertake interventions to uplift the social status of female youth with disabilities in central Uganda, and thus increase their recognition as contributing and valuable members of their communities. The project recognizes that there are various factors upon which social status is constructed, among which is education, employment or entrepreneurship. Female youth with disabilities in Uganda, however, face multiple marginalizations arising from their gender, age and disabilities. Due to challenges that impede their access to education, they lack the skills to directly access employment in the open labour market. And due to other economic reasons, they are unable to establish their own start-ups. This coupled with societal beliefs and misconceptions about the potentials of female youth with disabilities has rendered the latter to have the lowest ranking in society. This project will thus seek to establish a pilot Center for Employment and Social Entrepreneurship to build the capacity of female youth with disabilities in Uganda to compete for employment and entrepreneurship opportunities. The project will also seek to engage the academia in pursuit of increasing research on disability, gender and economic inclusion , and solicit for collaboration with other public, private and civil society organizations on the advancement of the rights of female youth with disabilities.