OUR VISIT TO UGANDA
In early December we traveled to Uganda, often referred to as the Pearl of Africa, for a project visit with our partner Girl Up Initiative Uganda (GUIU). The visit took place in Kampala and offered an opportunity to experience the project up close - not only through meetings and presentations, but through direct encounters with the girls and young women at the heart of the work.
The organization is a women-led, locally rooted actor working to strengthen the rights, leadership, and economic opportunities of adolescent girls and young women in underserved urban and rural communities. The project focuses on ensuring uninterrupted access to education for vulnerable girls and young women, combining in-school interventions such as scholarship support with out-of-school initiatives in skills development and entrepreneurship. Education is approached holistically, with a strong emphasis on sexual and reproductive health and rights, leadership development, and the link between education and climate resilience through climate-smart, environmentally conscious practices.
The visit provided valuable insight into how locally led, integrated approaches can create sustainable change — and highlighted the impact that long-term partnerships with community-based organizations can have when solutions are shaped and owned locally.
The first day
The first day was dedicated to understanding the organization from the inside. We visited the GUIU office and met the team, many of whom welcomed us through music and dance — a reminder that community, celebration, and collective strength are central to how the organization operates. Later that day, we joined a session with secondary school scholarship recipients, where the girls sat together in a circle and shared their experiences. They spoke about what access to education has meant for them, about their dreams for the future, and about the importance of belonging to the Girl Up network.
Several stories were deeply moving, including that of Latifa, who described growing up in a context marked by displacement, violence, and early responsibility, yet still holding on to her ambition of becoming a lawyer. For her, the programme represented more than financial support — it was a space for mentorship, solidarity, and the ability to dream together.
“This means everything to me. Somebody to talk to. Dream together".
The second day
The second day revealed the scale and collective energy of the initiative. We attended a large graduation and learning event bringing together around 1,800 students who had completed a year-long school-based programme with GUIU. The event combined performances, dancing, and celebration with exhibitions where students presented what they had learned and created.
What stood out was the sense that this was more than a project — it felt like a movement.
Girls spoke with confidence about their experiences, supported by peers, teachers, and mentors, and the atmosphere reflected pride, ownership, and momentum rather than passive participation.
The final day
The final day provided space for reflection and a deeper understanding of the organization’s development and ambitions. In conversations with founder and executive director Monica, we learned how GUIU has grown from a small initiative with a single staff member into a stable and expanding organization working across multiple schools, including programmes engaging boys as allies for change. As Grieg Foundation’s only direct partnership with a local organization, the visit underscored the value of long-term, trust-based collaboration. Later, we also attended a graduation ceremony for Mazuri Designs, an initiative focused on skills development and economic empowerment, illustrating how education pathways can extend beyond formal schooling and into livelihoods.
Together, the visit offered a nuanced picture of what locally led change can look like in practice — grounded in relationships, sustained over time, and driven by the girls and young women themselves.
