By KT Reporter
Virtuous Women Foundation, a local Community-Based Organization (CBO) based in Kotido District, has held its first-ever sensitization run to raise awareness about the importance of girl-child education in Kotido and Abim districts.
The run also aimed to mobilize resources to support girls’ education and improve completion rates, amid persistently high school dropout levels in the Karamoja sub-region.
The event took place on Saturday, December 20, 2025, at the former Youth Centre in Kotido Town. It attracted participants from banking institutions, fellow CBOs, and several non-governmental organisations operating in Kotido and Abim districts.
Susan Akello, the Director of Virtuous Women Foundation, said the initiative was intended to highlight the high dropout rates in Karamoja and to rally stakeholders to address the challenge. She noted that the run also sought to raise funds for menstrual hygiene supplies and scholastic materials to help keep girls in school.
According to a UNICEF report, school dropout rates in Karamoja stand at about 60 percent, with many girls dropping out as early as Primary One. The dropouts are largely attributed to early marriage, poverty, and deep-rooted cultural beliefs. In many communities, boys are viewed primarily as herders, while girls are often regarded as sources of wealth through marriage.
Akello said the sensitization run was designed to break these traditional barriers by mobilizing resources to support vulnerable girls with menstrual hygiene materials and school supplies.
A total of 2.2 million shillings was raised during the event, with an additional 1.5 million shillings pledged.
Agnes Lokochil, a representative for the West and South Divisions in the Kotido District Local Government, praised the initiative, describing it as a foundation for community transformation and positive change in girl-child education.
Karamoja continues to register some of the highest school dropout rates in Uganda. Recent reports indicate that up to 70 percent of children in the sub-region fail to complete primary education, largely due to poverty, cattle herding, mining activities, long distances to schools, and parental neglect.
In districts such as Moroto and Kotido, more than 40 percent of learners enrolled under Universal Primary Education (UPE) do not complete primary school.
Akello said the sensitization run will now be held annually to sustain awareness, mobilize resources, and strengthen engagement with stakeholders to address barriers to girls’ education in the region.
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