By Patricia Munabi Babiiha
Uganda joins the African continent and the rest of the world to commemorate the Pan African Women’s Day (PAWD) which has been celebrated every July 31 on the African continent since 1962.
The PAWD was first observed during the Pan African Women’s Conference held on 31st July 1962 in Dar-es-salaam, Tanzania. This day was established to recognise and shine a light on the role of women in organising for political freedom and advancing the social economic status of women on the continent.
The theme for the 2021 PAWD is, “African Women in Arts, Culture and Heritage”. This theme was inspired by the recognition of the role played by arts, culture and heritage as catalysts for the socio-economic development and integration of the African continent.
In essence, the PAWD is a day that offers a national, continental and global opportunity for humanity to recall and affirm the significant role that African women have played in the socio-economic transformation of Africa.
However, and most importantly, this day gives us an opportunity to put the government to task over pledges that have been made towards the betterment of the lives of women. It offers us an opportunity to ask those in power tough questions and to remind the government that there must be focus on sectors that are crucial to the socio-economic transformation of the lives of women and girls in this country.
For instance, Uganda is a signatory to the Abuja Declaration. Under that Declaration, the government committed to allocate 15% of the budget to the health sector. The Abuja Declaration was birthed in 2001 because more resources were required to tackle health challenges like maternal mortality, HIV/AIDS and malaria.
However, it is quite disheartening to note that in the 2021/22 budget, funding for the health sector is estimated to decline by 9.3%. The reduction of funding to the health sector as the country recovers from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic is a further illustration of how we are getting our priorities wrong. Government MUSTprioritise funding for the health sector not only to ensure better health outcomes but also to enable an increased contribution to productivity and consequently to development.
As we take stock, we need to ask, how are we doing in regards to Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4 that aims at ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all?
The SDG target is that by 2030, all girls and boys should complete free, equitable and quality primary and secondary education leading to relevant and effective learning outcomes and by the same year, all girls and boys have access to quality early childhood development, care and pre-primary education so that they are ready for primary education.
However, and rather sadly, even as we celebrate the PAWD today, there are still girls who are unable to access quality education and healthcare. These two are important aspects in the lives of women and girls.
At the Forum for Women in Democracy (FOWODE), we are passionate about emphasising the role that women have played and continue to play in the socio-economic transformation of this country. We work day and night towards nurturing a supportive environment for women to thrive in leadership.
I am glad to note that our work has produced bold transformational young women leaders that have strategically positioned themselves to promote women and girls’ rights. At FOWODE, we strongly believe that it is critical to create a new generation of leaders with the ability to confidently advance gender equality, social justice and to set the development agenda.
Furthermore, we continuously engage communities to address patriarchal, cultural and traditional stereotypes that inhibit women from achieving their full potential.
As we celebrate PAWD, it is my sincere hope that this important day will be a point of reflection on the achievements we have registered,the challenges that abound and how much more needs to be done to transform the lives of women and girls.
Patricia Munabi Babiiha is the Executive Director, Forum for Women in Democracy (FOWODE).
