Wrap up session on Gender Consideration in Youth Enterprise training
This is our wrap up session and I want to thank you for all your good and interesting discussions and contributions on Sex, gender, Gender roles, Gender equality, Gender norms/values/stereotypes, gender constraints and considerations to Youth Enterprise training.
I however want to remind you that there are many more gender concepts provided in your notes that we did not discuss due to lack of time. Please find time to read all your notes and also look at the references that I provided in the notes so that you can get more information and knowledge on gender issues. You can also look for other readings that I did not mention which can also give you more information and knowledge on gender.
Even if this is a wrap up session, allow me to make the following few comments on your discussions about gender constraints and gender considerations:
- You all discussed the gender constraints and considerations very well. and Ubandoma put together all the points that all of you discussed. All of you said that the youth lack funds for transport and to participate in training p[programmes and also funds for starting a business and one of the key reasons that young people especially the female youth lack support from the parents/family, friends, government, churches etc. You all said that another reason for this is lack of trust and confidence in female youth to succeed in business.
This is telling us that we have to upscale our lobbying for support among communities where our families and friends live, the government and other support organizations so that they start realizing that the female youth can be as good and even better that the male youth. I totally agree with all of you that use of role models to make presentations to forums including training programmes can assist the female youth build confidence and start emulating the successful fellow female youth - Issues of guardians refusing the female youth to go to far places for training programmes, perpetuated imbalances in supporting the male youth at the expense of the female youth and lack of support services to breastfeeding female youth during training programmes can also be resolved with continued he sensitisation and lobbying programmes for communities, the government and other support.
- Kafuiaheto and others, do remember that these days, a number of financial institutions use group collateral in order to enable vulnerable groups such as the youth, women, persons living with HIV and AIDS and Women with disabilities to borrow funds for starting and growing their businesses. You can guide and encourage the young people that you work with to request for such kind of collateral when approaching banks, Micro Finance Institutions or other institutions where they want to borrow from.
- Luckyluka brought in the importance of providing guidance, counselling and mentoring to the youth especially the female youth in order to support them in the absence of support from their families, friends and amidst the gender imbalances. Good point Luckluka and everybody.
- Continued advocacy and sensitisation both in rural and urban areas, among communities and among women and men so that men do not start/continue being suspicious of their wives when they go for training programmes, so that parents/g5. Continued advocacy and sensitisation both in rural and urban areas, among communities and among women and men so that men do not start/continue being suspicious of their wives when they go for training programmes, so that parents/guardians can start allowing their daughters to go for training programmes and also support them to start businesses.
- I hope and trust that Gabkan and Mulakom you were able to catch up. Thanks Kafuiaheto for sharing your experiences from Ghana. Kaziba, your comments that we are discussing Gender considerations for Youth Enterprise training during the week of the International Women's day celebrations was good and I agree with you that the discussions came at the right time. Kindly thank that Politician in Southern province for us for defining gender well. However, give him the right information so that he can support us well in sensitizing the communities and fellow m en on gender and gender constraints.
Once more, thank you all for your active participation, I hope and trust that you will equally enjoy the remaining sessions that will be facilitated by my other fellow trainers. God's many blessings in your training. Byeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!
