Blog

This past year has been a challenging time for girls rights across the globe. Because of the pandemic, over 10 million girls are at-risk of school dropout. In Uganda, an estimated 20% of girls did not return to school after the first lockdown and in the UK, 1.5 million young women have lost income since the start of the crisis. (Sources: Malala Fund, African Revival, Young Women’s Trust)

As Rachel, a 17 year old Ugandan girl, told us,

“Many girls’ [futures] are getting [spoiled] because of the situation at hand, and if things were good, many would study…many have been forced into early marriages, pregnancies. If we get help, many of us would go back to school, and we can achieve our dreams and become future leaders.”

At the start of the pandemic, we stepped in to fight for some of the most vulnerable girls. This past year we have been delivering our emergency response across three strands to ensure progress to gender equality is not jeopardised. Specifically, we ensured provision through providing immediate support for overlooked gender specific needs, provided protection by  safeguarding vulnerable young people and restored power by amplifying the experiences and priorities of those we support.

“It brought back life for us because I was stuck and stranded” – Beatrice, single mother Uganda

The pandemic continues to push progress in gender equality into crisis and the futures of young women and girls still hang in the balance. As we move forward, Irise is committed to protecting some of the most vulnerable women and girls. 

Read the full Power Not Just Pads Report to find out more about our response to the pandemic and the work we are doing to support gender equality.