Mentoring Camps Brighten Futures for Young Ugandan Women

In many rural Ugandan communities, young women face threats to their future economic opportunities and influence, including pregnancy, early marriage, sexual assault, and lack of funds to cover school fees. Working with and through community and cultural structures, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Uganda’s flagship resilience program—the Abt-led USAID Integrated Community Agriculture and Nutrition (ICAN) Activity—is finding ways for these young women to build their skills and confidence.

Since 2019, USAID ICAN has hosted Adolescent Girls and Young Women mentorship camps for more than 4,000 women and girls aged 14-24 who have dropped out of school. At three five-day camps—finding your voice, exploring skills, and empowerment—they receive guidance and training from successful women in their communities, including businesswomen, nurses, and village health team members. Topics cover economic and financial betterment, women’s reproductive health, access to family planning, family nutrition, and the possibility of returning to vocational or formal education.

The results have been stunning. An Abt assessment of the first cohort in 2019 found 88 percent of respondents started businesses with USAID ICAN financial linkages and increased their monthly income by an average of 83 percent. Ninety percent joined savings groups, a quarter enrolled in adult learning classes, and the vast majority said they felt more in control.