Mentorship and Skilling: Over 170 Women Benefit from GSMP Initiative, Target is 3000 in Uganda
The Alumni of the Global Sports Mentoring Program (GSMP) successfully climaxed the third edition of the initiative that tries to empower Women through sports.
These women of substance from sports industry, the likes of Majida Nantanda, the CAF Instructor, Aisha Nassanga a Senior Sports Journalist, Busitema University Senior Sports Tutor, Agnes Baluka are the among the iron Ladies who got a chance to be mentored by US Department that empower Women through sports.
These Alumni saw it important to spread the knowledge even to other ladies in Uganda, they started with Sports alone in slums of Kampala but spread wings to Eastern Region and they added hands on skilling programs to which this year 170 ladies from Busitema University and Community benefited.
According to Chairperson of the GSMP Alumni, and a Senior Sports Tutor at Busitema University, Agnes Baluka, yesterday, the women’s day, they were climaxing the project they started in June 2021.
Since, COVID-19 pandemic hit the world at least for two years and a lot of domestic violence hit Women and children, the Program decided to have a theme that highlights how the violence can be mitigated and reduced among Women and children.
“We decided to celebrate women’s day together as Busitema University and surrounding community, we gathered here today to climax a project that started in June in 2021, moving on a theme; Mitigation and Reduction of COVID-19 crisis Gender-based Violence, abuse & Exploitation of Women & Girls through Sports.
“We use sports to empower Women and girls, so today we had a number of sports activities and Skilling, ladies learnt how to make handbags, tailoring and hairdressing, these skills help ladies to make own money and don’t fully depend on men.
“This year we had a limited number, 170 because of financial challenges and even to observe the Covid SOPs, but in previous editions we had like 200, 300 and more.” Said Agnes Baluka.
Another Alumni and among the Organizers, Coach Majida Nantanda highlighted the challenges they face as the initiators of the program and their future target.
“Like my Chairperson has said, we are sports Women and to empower our fellow women, we use sports because it’s what we know but we added Skilling because there those mamas who don’t know sports but can gain something through skilling, however, we have a challenge of finances, like today we only dressed 120 ladies and yet they are 170, the others felt left out, the ladies are many but we have few machines. Said Nantanda before adding.. “Besides those challenges our target is to skill at least 3000 women in Uganda not only in Eastern Region. “
The ladies who benefited in the program extended their appreciation to the Organizers and revealed how the skills they got will help them earn own cash.
The sports activities that took place we’re football, Athletics and Netball, Busitema University beat Busitema Community 2-0 in football and 15-08 in Netball.