From Access to Agency

Children & youth

Jun 16

Written By Annikken Grieg Sæthre

Who: Girl Up Initiative Uganda

What: From Access to Agency: Advancing Girls’ Educational Pathways Through Targeted Scholarships

Where: Uganda

Project period: 2026-2029

About the project

From Access to Agency: Advancing Girls’ Educational Pathways Through Targeted Scholarships is a three-year initiative designed to ensure that academically talented girls from vulnerable backgrounds can remain in school, complete their education, and successfully transition into higher learning opportunities.

The project responds to one of the most significant barriers to girls’ educational attainment in Uganda: the inability to continue schooling due to financial hardship. While many girls demonstrate strong academic potential, the costs associated with secondary and higher education often place continued learning beyond the reach of their families, increasing the risk of school dropout and limiting future opportunities.

The initiative will provide full, multi-year scholarships to 120 high-potential girls whose education is threatened by financial and social barriers. This includes supporting 100 girls to complete secondary education and 20 top-performing young women to transition to and complete university education. Scholarships will cover tuition, scholastic materials, mentorship, academic monitoring, and individualized support to help girls successfully navigate critical educational transitions and achieve their academic goals.

Recipients are selected through a merit- and vulnerability-based process, ensuring support reaches girls with strong academic performance, leadership potential, and demonstrated financial need. Beyond financial assistance, the project will provide sustained guidance and encouragement to strengthen retention, completion, and academic success.

By protecting educational pathways and investing in girls’ potential, the project will enable young women to acquire the knowledge, skills, and qualifications needed to pursue meaningful careers, contribute to their communities, and lead independent lives. Graduates will also be encouraged to serve as mentors and role models, creating a cycle of opportunity that inspires and supports future generations of girls.

About the organization

Girl Up Initiative Uganda (GUIU) is a women-led nonprofit organization with a vision of a gender-equitable world where girls thrive and lead. Since 2012, GUIU has worked in underserved urban and rural communities across Uganda to expand educational and economic opportunities for adolescent girls and young women through gender-transformative programming.

The organization delivers school-based leadership and life-skills education, engages boys as allies for gender equality, strengthens safeguarding and gender-responsive learning environments, and supports young women’s economic empowerment through vocational skills training and entrepreneurship pathways.

Working alongside schools, families, and communities, GUIU addresses the social, economic, and institutional barriers that limit girls’ opportunities and educational outcomes. Through mentorship, leadership development, and targeted education support, thousands of girls have gained the confidence, knowledge, and agency to stay in school, transition successfully through critical stages of education, and pursue meaningful futures.

GUIU combines individual empowerment with systems-level change to create lasting impact for girls, young women, and their communities.