Girl Power Foundation
VP Grantee

Girl Power Foundation, a first-year grantee of the New Africa Fund, is a community-based organization dedicated to empowering girls and young women in Kanungu District, Southwestern Uganda. Its mission is to break down social barriers that limit girls’ opportunities by providing education, mentorship, vocational training, and community engagement – ensuring that girls grow into confident, self-reliant leaders in their communities.

 

Founded in 2017 by Winnie Ainembaabazi, an inspiring Ugandan woman who escaped a forced teen marriage, the organization works to reduce school dropouts and teen pregnancies through targeted support and advocacy.

 

Girl Power Foundation focuses on three core program areas:

 

Mentorship and life skills development – 

• The Go Girls mentorship initiative offers weekly sessions for girls aged 10-18 in a safe space, where they explore topics and tackle issues of self-esteem, effective communication, menstruation awareness, mental health, resilience, leadership, goal setting, and healthy relationships. 

• The Sauti Ya Dada program creates vital spaces for adolescent girls, providing them with access to crucial information and tools needed to develop and amplify their leadership skills and nurture their agency. 

 

Quality education for girls – Lack of financial resources to attend boarding schools, coupled with the absence of nearby secondary institutions, can hinder a girl’s educational journey. Girl Power Foundation offers scholarships and essential scholastic materials to outstanding performers, ensuring they have access to quality education at the lower secondary level. Their commitment also extends to young mothers seeking a second chance to pursue their education. 

 

Girl power skills – Girl Power Foundation equips young mothers and vulnerable girls in the community who have left the formal education system with vocational skills, empowering them to achieve financial independence. The one-year-long training program in tailoring and weaving provides the young girls and women with technical skills, life skills, entrepreneurship know-how, and business skills.