Nandawula Amina, a 20-year-old student at Metropolitan University pursuing a Bachelor’s in Science with Education, has faced and risen above significant obstacles to become a confident and empowered young woman.
Growing up in a male-dominated family in Tebuyoleka village, Bwaise II parish, one of the low income settlements in Kampala, she often felt overlooked. “I felt like I was invisible, like my voice didn’t matter,” she recalls, reflecting on the unfair treatment she endured from her brothers due to traditional gender expectations.
Amina also faced significant health challenges. Living with asthma, she often encountered stigma and neglect from her community. Financial difficulties added to her struggles, her parents were sometimes unable to pay her school fees in secondary school, causing her to miss exams. Despite these obstacles, Amina remained determined to continue her education and pursue her dreams.
Everything changed in 2020 when Amina joined the Adolescent Girls’ Power Program (AGPP). Through life skills training and empowerment initiatives, she gained confidence, self-worth, and resilience. “I learned to stand up for myself and believe in my abilities,” she shares.
The program also involved community and parental engagement, which encouraged her parents to continue supporting her education despite her health challenges, enabling her to pursue university studies with determination.
AGPP also supported Amina in entrepreneurship. She started a business selling second-hand clothes with an initial capital of 500,000 UGX, later supplemented with an additional 500,000 UGX. Her business thrived, allowing her not only to sustain herself but also to contribute toward her tuition fees.
Building on her success and newfound confidence, Amina took on a leadership role as a peer mentor at her safe space, Glorious Initiative. She now leads a savings group that empowers girls to become financially independent and engages them in income-generating activities, such as making liquid soap and sanitary towels.
To further strengthen her skills, Amina also pursued vocational training in computer studies, enhancing her digital literacy and enabling her to market her business more effectively.
With these combined experiences, she now envisions herself as the director of a large organization, Glorious Girls Initiative, dedicated to empowering other girls and young women.
“I am no longer the same girl who felt invisible and powerless,” Amina says, smiling. “I am now a confident and independent young woman, determined to make a difference in my community.”
Amina’s story is a powerful example of the impact of AFFCAD’s work in empowering vulnerable girls and young women. Through AGPP, she has gained the skills, confidence, and support needed to overcome her challenges and inspire others.
AGPP focuses on focuses on building power of adolescent girls, including young mothers, to enable them transform and change the structures that deny them choices and power and. The program is supported by the Children’s Rights and Violence Prevention Fund.
This story was written by our Project Officer Sharon Katutu.
