"Without access to education,
[young girls in Uganda] often marry young,
have large families that they are unable to care for
and are forced to work difficult jobs for very little pay."
There's a popular feminist clothing company that has a shirt which reads "girls just want to have fun....damental human rights." As a Jesus Feminist [if you haven't read that book, you can borrow mine. Gave me LOTS to think about] at heart, that statement resonates with me when it comes to things like eradicating the pink tax and ensuring equal pay for equal jobs. But for young girls living in Uganda, fundamental human rights means something entirely different.
School. Just the basic right of going to school is far too often denied to young girls across the world. Unlock Hope saw this problem and stepped in to do something about it. Through the sale of some really cool shirts/tanks/baseball tees/etc., Unlock Hope is propelling young African girls forward and helping them step out of the cycle of poverty. You can read their concise synopsis of how they do that here. Just scroll down the page and you will see their description of their work. I think it's important to read companies' explanations of their mission and goal in their own words, so just in case you're too lazy to click on the link, here it is:
"IN UGANDA, YOUNG GIRLS AREN'T GIVEN THE SAME CHANCES AS BOYS.
Without access to education they often marry young, have large families that they are unable to care for, and are forced to work difficult jobs for very little pay.
Since 2008, we have partnered with Think Humanity, an organization that runs a hostel in Hoima, Uganda for young refugee girls from all across Africa, many of whom are orphaned.
Solely through the sale of our products we are able to fully fund the hostel and provide everything necessary for these girls to receive an education. Health care, food, tuition, utilities, transportation, support staff, school fees, clothing, uniforms, toiletries, school supplies, books and more are completely paid for - all thanks to your purchases!
TO A YOUNG REFUGEE IN UGANDA HOPE IS AN EDUCATION.
Beth Heckel, the founder and director of Think Humanity, explains further what this means to them.
'The Think Humanity Girls Hostel Program was developed to bring 30 girls together under one roof so that they can receive a secondary school education within the town of Hoima, Uganda.
The majority of our girls, many whom are orphaned, are also innocent victims of war. Due to this, girls are living as refugees and are displaced from different locations such as South Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda and northern Uganda.
Without the opportunity to study further, these children would likely get married at a young age, earn low incomes, have large families they cannot support, and thus continue the cycle of poverty and underdevelopment. Think Humanity’s program intends to break that cycle.
This program goes beyond simply getting access to secondary education. These children will be engaging in supplementary activities to give them the leadership skills and tools necessary to succeed in life. Additional activities and support include educational seminars, skill training, leadership development, sports, access to nutritious food and health care.
The first year of the program all of the girls passed successfully and many were top students and leaders in their schools. We believe that a big portion of this success is due to our great partnership with Unlock Hope. While most children in this region have meals consisting of a corn flour paste or porridge, our girls have been blessed with three nutritious meals a day. Nutrition is one important key to high performance in school. Unlock Hope has kept our children strong, healthy and able to focus on their studies.
TH girls want to become doctors, nurses, teachers, engineers and journalists and Unlock Hope is ready to take this one big step further by providing as much support as possible to see that these girls’ dreams come true.
Education for girls has been identified as one of the best solutions to reversing the relentless trend of poverty and disease. We believe that when you educate a girl, you can potentially educate an entire nation!
Through partnership, Think Humanity and Unlock Hope plan to impact the future of many lives through education.'"
'The Think Humanity Girls Hostel Program was developed to bring 30 girls together under one roof so that they can receive a secondary school education within the town of Hoima, Uganda.
The majority of our girls, many whom are orphaned, are also innocent victims of war. Due to this, girls are living as refugees and are displaced from different locations such as South Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda and northern Uganda.
Without the opportunity to study further, these children would likely get married at a young age, earn low incomes, have large families they cannot support, and thus continue the cycle of poverty and underdevelopment. Think Humanity’s program intends to break that cycle.
This program goes beyond simply getting access to secondary education. These children will be engaging in supplementary activities to give them the leadership skills and tools necessary to succeed in life. Additional activities and support include educational seminars, skill training, leadership development, sports, access to nutritious food and health care.
The first year of the program all of the girls passed successfully and many were top students and leaders in their schools. We believe that a big portion of this success is due to our great partnership with Unlock Hope. While most children in this region have meals consisting of a corn flour paste or porridge, our girls have been blessed with three nutritious meals a day. Nutrition is one important key to high performance in school. Unlock Hope has kept our children strong, healthy and able to focus on their studies.
TH girls want to become doctors, nurses, teachers, engineers and journalists and Unlock Hope is ready to take this one big step further by providing as much support as possible to see that these girls’ dreams come true.
Education for girls has been identified as one of the best solutions to reversing the relentless trend of poverty and disease. We believe that when you educate a girl, you can potentially educate an entire nation!
Through partnership, Think Humanity and Unlock Hope plan to impact the future of many lives through education.'"
So, here are just a few reasons why I love Unlock Hope:
1) They understand how to effectively give girls a chance. Unlock Hope, through Think Humanity, not only helps to provide an education to girls in Uganda (many of whom are refugees from surrounding countries displaced by war), but they also provide supplemental activities to teach their girls life skills in order for them to succeed once they leave the hostel. This enables them to break the cycle of poverty.
2) They mean what they say. In the FAQ section of their website, Unlock Hope explains that "when we say we fully fund the Think Humanity girls' hostel, that's exactly what we mean." Instead of donating a portion of the proceeds of the sales of their items, Unlock Hope donates their entirety of the budget needed to fully fund the hostel for that year, and then use the proceeds from sales to supplement that donation. SUPER RAD.
3) Sweatshop free. Their clothing is produced ethically! Hooray!
4) The designs are so cute and affordable. Seriously. Check out the clearance section for some awesomely cheap shirts. I own a couple, and they wear well, wash well and are just so cute! I cannot wait to buy more!
So there you have it! Now scurry on over to their website and stock up on cute tanks and tees for the summer, and provide girls in Uganda what are truly basic fundamental human rights: the opportunity to get an education and not be forced into a life of poverty!
-A.A.
