Monica Amono stands before a room full of school girls, talking about hygiene, and the importance of a balanced diet. Even in her school uniform, she is the picture of grace and poise: her clothes are clean and immaculately pressed, her hair short and neat. During the previous school term, she gave a similar talk to over 100 people living in the camp for Internally Displaced People near her school. It takes great courage to stand before a crowd and encourage them to change their attitudes and behaviour. It is even harder when you are a teenage girl addressing villagers whose bodies and spirits have been wounded by the double-edged sword of war and poverty. Yet Monica does it with admirable confidence.
What are the challenges of the people of Northern Uganda, and girls in particular?
Most girls in my school have lost one parent or both, and their remaining families are living in IDP camps. Sometimes there are seven people to one tiny hut. Often girls are told to leave or given away as brides to reduce the family burden. Such difficulties have led many young girls to turn to prostitution to make money. Many of them drop out of school early because of pregnancy or to take care of the family.
Children here live in constant fear of being abducted by rebel soldiers from the Lord’s Resistance Army or Karamajong raiders. Girls are targeted to serve as wives for the rebels.
The IDP camps are crowded, and because of lack of water, standards of hygiene are very low. Cholera outbreaks are common. It’s not easy living in Northern Uganda. People are poor, yet commodities like soap and food are very expensive.
What training have you received as a member of the Life Skills Club?
I have learnt exciting ways of making people listen to me through drama, music and poetry. I have also been trained in First Aid, and I’ve learnt a lot about good health – about sanitation and hygiene, nutrition, STDs, HIV and Aids, and how to help people who are sick.
I have been trained on how to counsel young people who have been traumatised by the war. I sometimes visit ‘night commuters’, children who come to seek refuge in the town at night to avoid being abducted by rebel soldiers. Many of these children have managed to escape from captivity but are still suffering from shock and depression. I talk to them and reassure them that they are not alone.
In Northern Uganda, few girls make it beyond primary school. Our school encourages us to take science subjects so that we can become doctors and nurses, and so that we can contribute in a bigger way to the health of our communities.
How do you use those skills to improve the health and welfare of people in your community?
I organise talks for my schoolmates about good hygiene and nutrition, the importance of staying in school, and how to avoid getting pregnant or being infected with HIV. I encourage them to get tested so that they can know their status and be able to take care of themselves, particularly considering the high incidence of sexual abuse in the camps.
Every school term, life skills members give talks to the community. Last term, I spoke at the IDP camp about nutrition. Hygiene and sanitation are also major issues in the camps. People use the bushes as toilets, increasing the risk of spreading disease. I tell them why such practices are dangerous, and encourage them to dig and use pit latrines instead. I also advise them to boil their water before drinking.
Sometimes we visit hospitals to talk to the patients. We also visit the homes of people living with HIV. We help them with chores like cooking, cleaning and fetching water and firewood. Initially I was afraid to go near people with HIV, but now I am not. Many people in the community have similar fears. By example, we encourage them to care for the sick and to value them.
What difference has the life skills training made in school and in the community?
Unlike in the past, when girls were afraid to speak out, share their experiences, help others or make informed decisions, they are now very confident. They speak about how they want to improve their lives. There are many cases of girls who have helped their siblings, friends and community members through difficult situations because of the life skills training.
Some girls who have opted to return to school after hearing the life skills talks and realising that they can improve their lives and their health even if they are already mothers. There is also a big change in the way girls are viewed in the community; educating a girl is no longer seen as a waste of money; they are now being appreciated for their contribution to the welfare of the community.
I am proud that I am helping to improve the health of the people in my community. When I finish school I want to become a doctor.
Read more about AMREF's work in Promoting Girls Education in Northern Uganda