In line with the Education pillar of its Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives, Airtel Uganda has handed over 100 goats to 50 girls in Moroto district in a bid to join in the fundraising campaign #GOATSFORGIRLS that aims at keeping young girls in the Karamoja region in school.
This handover follows a pledge made by the telecom company to purchase and handover the goats in support of efforts being made by the International Institute of Rural Reconstruction (IIRR) to improve education outcomes for disadvantaged girls especially in pastoral communities.
According to Pamela B. Nyamutoka Katooro, the IIRR Uganda Country Director, the practice of forced marriages in this region usually results from the lack of adequate resources to keep the girl child in school.
“Since 2015, IIRR’s Goats4Girls model has successfully been used to support over 2000 girls to enroll and stay in school,” she adds.
Handing over the goats, Airtel Uganda’s the Territory Business Manager of Moroto District, Mr. Vincent Baguma encouraged the recipients to use this opportunity to change their lives and improve the conditions of their families. Baguma also encouraged the families to assist the recipients to ensure that the goats stay in good health.
“As soon as these goats mature and reproduce, you will be required to hand over the first two kids to another girl in this community. Through this method, we believe the literacy levels in this community will improve and the school dropout rates will reduce,” Baguma concluded.
Airtel Uganda’s support for Education in Uganda dates back over 5 years when the telecommunications company launched the Adopt-A- School program which has so far benefited four schools and thousands of students across the country. Airtel Uganda has also provided network connectivity to schools in order to provide them with resources to better their curriculum.