Fiona Oroma, born and raised in Gulu is the Founder and Executive Director for the Second Chance Foundation (SCF). Coming from Northern Uganda which was in war for over 20years’ with people confined in Internally Displaced Camps, Education was not a priority but rather living to see another day. The education system was shattered in the region and children lived on streets without knowing what the future holds for them. I grew up seeing Education as a Luxury and not a necessity partly because girl’s education was not a priority as they were seen as a source of wealth. Gender inequality was the norm as boys were taken to school while girls were told to stay home to allow their brothers study or in worst case scenarios married off at a tender age.

 

The physical war, fights and gunshots may be over but Northern Uganda is still grappling with the effects of the war. According to the National Population Council report. Acholi Sub-region in general witnessed a sharp rise in teenage pregnancies with a total of 16,228 cases registered among girls aged 15-19 in 2021 alone. These are the age brackets of girls born during the war, in the IDP camps, in captivity and from child-headed families due to loss of parents in the war.

 

I founded Second Chance Foundation to empower these young mothers with skills and knowledge so that they are able to take care of their children to avoid the vicious cycle of poverty. Personally, my career objective is to contribute to fairness and equity in uplifting the standard and quality of life for all while paying special attention to the needs of the underprivileged. I look at the Pregnant girls and teenage mothers as underprivileged that if not empowered to take charge of their lives, they will be unable to provide for their children.

 

Empowering women to earn their fair share could benefit their entire communities in a big way as women are likely to invest more of their money back into their families and communities. Therefore, we can all build the future we want for the girls and women by turning our outrage into action.