Celebrating Exceptional Women
Empowering women in the economy and closing gender gaps in the world are key to achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Goal 5, to achieve gender equality, and Goal 8, to promote full and productive employment and decent work for all; also Goal 1 on ending poverty, Goal 2 on food security, Goal 3 on ensuring health and Goal 10 on reducing inequalities.
IWU with partners designed and implemented “The Exceptional Woman Initiative”. This was designed to prepare experienced women leaders to take on new challenges in the social sector where they potentially can make an even greater societal impact than they have done in their careers.
Women and girls were encouraged to get involved in this initiative as it provided an opportunity to discuss and respond to a series of questions about the status of a young woman today in the career world especially after school.
We collaborated with French Embassy, Ruparelia Foundation, Kafeero Foundation, African Women and Girls Organization for Total Knowledge (AWIGO), Zimba Women, and mentored 2,500 women and girls in communities and universities in and around Kampala district.
We held 50 mentorship sessions simultaneously. The sessions were held in 50 different locations on the same date, same time each targeting 50 women and girls. Kyambogo and Nkumba Universities, YMCA, and successful women mentors like Stephanie Rivoal former French Ambassador, Prof. Maria Gorretti N. Musoke Deputy VC Kyambogo, Nada Andersen, and Mrs. Mildred Tibananuka, Dean of Students, Kyambogo University