Aisha’s Courage Offers Hope for a Gender Equal World, Uganda
As a child, Aisha watched her sister suffer from sickle cell disease and she desperately wanted to help her. Aisha envisioned herself as a nurse, passionately caring for her family and her community. But life in rural East Africa has presented tremendous challenges for Aisha and her loved ones. By age thirteen, Aisha had lost both her father and her sister, leaving only her mother to support their family through her exhausting work on a farm. Still, the money that her mother earned was not enough to pay Aisha’s way even through primary school.
“They had been sending me back home for school fees and requirements. I used to miss exams,” Aisha reflects. Now, through Asante Africa Foundation’s “Get Our Girls Back in School” campaign, Aisha is able to attend school without fear that she will be sent home for lack of funds. “Get Our Girls Back in School” supports a safe learning environment for girls while paying their school fees and supplying school materials such as uniforms, shoes, backpacks, and sanitary products. Most importantly, Aisha can take those critical educational steps towards becoming a nurse.
This year, on International Women’s Day, Asante Africa is proud to celebrate Aisha’s achievements and aspirations along with those of other girls like her. International Women’s Day 2022 asks us to “Imagine a gender equal world… A world that is diverse, equitable, and inclusive.” Aisha’s bravery in pursuing her educational and career goals transforms the dream of a gender equal world into a very close reality.
By Shauna White