We need more girls and women leaders - Nabagereka
Apr 04, 2014
We need more girls and women in leadership positions because their voices bring out experience and stories that are otherwise too often ignored and forgotten
By Juliet Lukwago
“We need more girls and women in leadership positions because their voices bring out experience and stories that are otherwise too often ignored and forgotten,” said Nabagereka Sylvia Nagginda.
She added that stories of children and elderly, trafficking victims, widows in poverty, displaced homemakers, the disabled, deprived and dispossessed are rampant.
"It’s not because men and boys can’t also advocate for these groups, but because women are still overwhelmingly the caregivers especially for those forgotten by society.
As such we need more women leaders who must build the pool of leadership as this will enable us fulfil a dream of engendering decision making at personal, family, community and national levels,” Nabagereka said.
This was during the launch of the Girl’s Leadership Academy youth conference dubbed "Wats up" at Nile Hall, Hotel Africana on Sunday.
She said girls should start speaking for themselves and engage in things that define their lives and needs, being active agents in their own development.
“Since many times the voices of girls are not heard, leaders allow them to speak for themselves about their lives and aspirations,” She added.
“Over the years, through the office of the Nabagereka Development Foundation (NDF) in programs like ‘Kisaakaate’, we have offered bursaries and scholarships for girls.”
She also noted that the desire to strengthen the lives of people cannot be fully achieved when women and girls are still being relegated as second class citizens: subjected to violence in their own homes and girls denied education.
This, she added, is the reason why more players are needed to get involved in fighting these vices and thanked all programs that complement the efforts as well as those of like-minded actors.