Statehouse Hails Airo Eseza for leading Effort to transform Women

*Airo Eseza, Founder Airo Eseza Foundation Addressing Media after a Women Conference at Adonai Christian Church Recently*

Jinja – The Bible tells us in Titus 2:3-5; ‘3Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. 4 Then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children, 5 to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God’, Eseza Airo, the founder of Airo Eseza Foundation may have read this verse and mastered it well.

For the last ten years, the Foundation mainly operating in Busoga and other parts of Eastern Uganda has been engaged in promotion of women and girl child empowerment initiatives, through: Economic Development Program to empower thousands of less privileged women and deprived children in Uganda, Advocacy for human rights in programs like the eradication of child abuse and rape, Domestic Violence against girl child and women.

Speaking to Red pepper following a three day training of over 200 women under Namulesa Christian leader’s Fellowship dubbed Women Spiritual & Economic Empowerment conference, Airo said the foundation prioritizes support for their own projects, groups, or initiatives, local women’s efforts are the focus.

“Women and girls are the ones who can build communities. When we empower them, they own rights, and own voice. The Economic and Spiritual programs we have offered in the many years not only do gender transformative fruits but benefit whole communities in the long term because mothers and girls drive society’’,said Airo.

In the last ten years, Airo has been supporting over over 8000 Women and Girls in providing tools, skills and opportunities to women, men and young girls in rural and urban communities to meet their closest needs such as food production, income generation to achieve their economic goals and aspirations in an inclusive and sustainable way

Through the foundation, Women allover Uganda have also been able to improve their confidence and increase their impact, Gained greater awareness of their personal strengths, and established an international network of female leaders and Learn from a richly diverse peer group.

‘’Because of the COVID-Pandemic where we have to observe the Government’s SOPs, we have managed to invite women leaders in the recent months around Busoga and trained them on rotational basis and when they go back to communities , they spread the message to their members to village levels’’, added Airo.

The ‘Keep the Girl in School’ program also championed by Airo which has three main initiatives: keeping girls in school, informed about their sexual health, and economically independent the program has developed initiatives to assist girls in successfully completing their education. These programs include: Supplying sanitary pads to girls who are menstruating; Constructing private ‘girls only’ latrines; providing accurate health information and mentorship through a female health worker.

Judith Apilo Ewichu, a Private Secretary to the President of Uganda Yoweri Museveni in charge of Women Affairs hailed Airo for supporting Government on the task to empower and transform women, urging them to also embrace Government programs like Operation Wealth Creation, Emyooga, and Women Fund among others.

‘’We Thank Airo for Listening to the President’s call of embracing the Peace NRM brought to transform Uganda. Am here to join my sister in empowering women both spiritually and economically. We implore you to embrace the programs initiated by the President like UWEP.Women used to stop in the kitchen but because of the fatherly leadership of Museveni, many of us have been given limelight and we are supporting our counterparts’’, said Judith.

Participants Also Received Knowledge from Her Excellency, Dr. Melody Unity Sakala-Makore, Vice President, World Humanity Commission via Zoom conference who urged women to discover themselves and play a key role in building communities.

Many other trainers from within and outside Uganda also shared their experiences to the Women leaders.