ROADS FOR GIRLS

BY KENNETH MULINDE FROM UGANDA

Roads for Girls will be realized in Apac district-Northern Uganda, to build upon the success of the #BeRoadSmartUG campaign, a local actions winning project 2021, that has promoted women’s rights and road safety in Kampala, using creative activism to raise awareness of women’s rights and safe mobility. The project is currently advocating with key decision makers in Kampala through a petition pushing for a gendered transport system that works and responds to the safety needs of female road users, by enacting policies that guarantee the safety of girls and women from uninvited verbal and physical attacks.

Unlike its predecessor, Roads for Girls will be the first project to address women’s public safety issues, perceptions of road safety and safe mobility among rural populations in Apac District. The goal of this local action is to reduce youth deaths from road crashes and harassment of female road users in Apac town, as it progresses into a city in the coming years. Efforts will be put in promoting roads as safe-living spaces for girls and women, youth participation in road safety decision making, and advocating with key authorities to improve traffic law enforcement and compliance, by December 2022. Our work will be informed by the guidelines and principles outlined in the Global youth statement for road safety, the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and the Decade of Action For Road Safety 2021-2030.

The goal of the project is to create Harassment free-safe journeys for female road users and improved public safety through to effective laws and compliance to traffic regulations leading to a reduction in youth deaths from road crashes in Apac town.

ABOUT THE PROJECT LEAD

Kenny is a creative activist and is the team leader at Youth Arts Movement Uganda. He currently works as the Creative Activism Inspirator with Action Aid International Uganda, and a youth advocate with Education Above All. He was introduced to road safety in 2020 during the 2nd World Youth Assembly for road safety.

What inspires him most is knowing that he can do something to save more youth lives from road crashes and that every individual or collective action could potentially contribute to the achievement of the sustainable, equal and just world that is desired for. All thanks to the Global Youth Coalition for the mentorship, capacity development, and resources they have continuously offered the young people.

PROJECT UPDATES

How is the implementation of the ROADS FOR GIRLS project?

We caught up with one of our Local Actions winners, Kenny Mulinde, to see how his project ROADS FOR GIRLS has been progressing this year.

The Roads for Girls project is being implemented in Apac district-Northern Uganda, to build upon the success of the #BeRoadSmartUG campaign, a local actions winning project 2021, that has promoted women’s rights and road safety in Kampala, using creative activism to raise awareness of women’s rights and safe mobility.

ABOUT THE LEAD ORGANISATION

youth arts movement uganda (yamu)

Youth Arts Movement Uganda - YAMU works to improve youth lives in Uganda through creative activism for human based approaches and gender responsive public service delivery. The organization shall provide us with creatives, technologies, office space and act as linkage between the project and government authorities of concern.