About 2500 runners gathered on May 28, earlier this year for the inaugural Absa KH3 7 Hills Run which covered 21km, covering the seven iconic hills of Kampala.Â
Organized in conjunction with the Kampala Hash House Harriers, the run generated Shs 200m meant to help keep the girl-child in school.
Tuesday morning saw Absa Bank declare the proceeds with all the beneficiaries present at their head office on Hannington Road, Kampala.Â
“We strive to be an active force for good in everything we do and believe that education is a right that every child should have access to,” said Mumba Kalifungwa, Managing Director, Absa Bank Uganda.
“In the spirit of accountability, we are pleased to announce the allocation of funds through partners whose work is aligned to the overall cause of keeping the girl-child in school by playing a part towards tackling societal challenges namely reintegrating teenage mothers in school, providing skills training, and improving menstrual hygiene management to minimize school absenteeism and dropout rates among girls.”Â
The beneficiaries of the funds include Wakisa Ministries who will get Shs30m for their initiatives geared towards skilling and re-integrating young mothers into schools.Â
Integrated Efforts for Youth & Women Empowerment (IEYAWE) will also walk away with Shs30m to support their Girl-Child Support Program which gives teenage mothers soft skills to enable them take care of their babies, as well as empower caretakers to protect the girl children from exploitation.Â
The Association for Rehabilitation and Re-orientation of Women for Development (TERREWODE) is also expected to receive Shs30m in a bid to cater for vocational skilling and re-integrating young mothers into schools.Â
The three organisations are targeting over 500 women country wide.Â
There is also a sum of Shs90m that has been put aside for World Vision Uganda to boost water, hygiene, and sanitation initiatives (WASH) targeted towards strengthening proper menstrual hygiene management for girls in Northern Uganda.Â
