The Girls Get Equal (GGE) End Child Forced and Early Marriage project is a 5-year project implemented in West Nile region by Plan International Uganda (PIU) and partners AFARD and The Trail Blazers Mentoring Foundation 

(TMF) in the districts of Adjumani, Nebbi, Pakwach and Zombo.  Its goal is to end child marriage. The specific objective of AFARD’s component is to have 30,000 youth, especially girls, who are economically empowered. Targeting young people aged 15-24 years and vulnerable families with economic empowerment activities, the project seeks to boost their savings, income earning capacities and economic security. In addition, community members including parents, religious and cultural leaders will be engaged to influence harmful cultural norms and practices while local, district and national level actors and decision makers will also be reached, particularly on issues related to law and policy and implementation coordination and harmonization with national strategies.

To date the project has formed 153 groups (with 4,590 members) and 26 vulnerable family groups (with 780 members). Using findings of a labour and agro-enteprise market analysis studies, it has trained and equipped 80 VSLA mentors, placed 103 youths for various vocational skills training and provided start-up farm inputs to 1,260 youths and 600 vulnerable families. These groups have saved UGX 165,580,800 (youth) and UGX 16,279,600 (Vulnerable family groups).

Project Budget:       UGX 2,156,221,946 

Donor: NORAD and Plan International Uganda