RUBIRIZI – The Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development, in partnership with CARE Uganda, trained women entrepreneurs in Rubirizi District on business growth, harmful social norms, and domestic conflict prevention.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The training, held at the District Headquarters, brought together government officials, Community Based Services (CBS) staff, religious leaders, and women entrepreneur leaders under the Uganda Women Entrepreneurs Platform (UWEPU).
Mrs. Felly Tumwesigye, a Gender-Based Violence Specialist and trainer from St. Francis Family Helper Program, urged women entrepreneurs to confront the barriers hindering business growth.
She emphasized that a persistent lack of business education has significantly stalled family development, leaving many households unable to achieve lasting economic progress.
“The purpose of this training is to bring together key actors to discuss barriers to women entrepreneurs, how to address them, and how we are going to help ensure that all women entrepreneurs doing business are supported and not distracted by barriers that can stop them from doing their business in peaceful moments,” she said.
Tumwesigye encouraged Rubirizi women to join Women Entrepreneurs Platforms so they can benefit from valuable networking opportunities, mentorship, access to finance, and expanded markets.
She revealed that the Women Economic Empowerment Coordination Mechanism aims to facilitate public-private collaboration at the district level, boosting women’s entrepreneurship and business growth.
Sheikh Iddi Kiseka, the leader of Dawa in Greater Bushenyi who participated in the Women Economic Empowerment Coordination training, commended CARE International and the government for empowering Rubirizi women.
“We thank CARE International and the government for empowering Rubirizi women. When women are empowered economically, it will bring mindset change in families where some men think only men should do business,” said Sheikh Iddi Kiseka.
He called upon men to support their wives’ projects for family development, encouraged married couples to cooperate to reduce poverty, hunger, and domestic conflicts, and asked the government to increase start-up capital.
Collins Tuhairwe, a facilitator from CARE Uganda under the GROW Project in charge of Ankole and Kigezi regions, said the training aimed to educate women on the causes of domestic violence and how to overcome it.
He noted that many women fail to develop due to conflicts over money, poor communication, harmful cultural norms, and poverty, and urged couples to cooperate, communicate well, and support each other’s businesses to reduce domestic violence.
The Rubirizi District Women Entrepreneurs Chairperson, Kyokunda Kelemensia, noted that women have failed in their families due to domestic violence, which has tragically caused death, family break-ups, endless conflicts, and the collapse of businesses.
Kyokunda sincerely thanked CARE Uganda for equipping women with valuable knowledge and practical skills on preventing domestic violence, which will greatly help increase livelihood sources and promote family development in communities.
She noted that the training came at the right time, when cases of domestic violence are increasingly rising between husbands and wives due to persistent business and loan wrangles.
The training marks a significant step in the joint efforts of the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development and CARE Uganda to empower women economically, promote gender equality, and build peaceful, prosperous families in Rubirizi District and beyond.
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