Five years ago, Ritah, 18, joined one of the twenty safe spaces in Luwero, Uganda, managed by the Luwero AGPP Cluster and supported by Children’s Rights and Violence Prevention Fund’s Adolescent Girl’s Power Program grant. Ritah joined the safe space after she reached a tipping point, having been consistently underpaid or not paid whilst doing informal work in her village. She felt exploited by those who could see her desperate need to work to make ends meet. Today, Ritah runs a small hairdressing business within Luwero as a result of the life and vocational skills she acquired during safe space sessions.
“I had to start working because I couldn’t go to school anymore. My family could no longer afford my school fees. I did jobs like frying chips on the roadside and working in people’s houses to try and make money. But I would not get paid when I would do this work, or when I was paid, it was very little money, not even enough to buy soap. I got tired of feeling like people were using me.”
Ritah not only experienced exploitation but also endured ridicule and judgment from her community because she was not in school and due to the nature of the jobs, she took on to sustain herself.
“I was tired of people judging me for not being in school or doing jobs they thought were bad. I wanted a steady job to take care of myself and stop the judgment coming from other people.”
A friend of Ritah, already a member of a safe space, persuaded her to join. Her friend explained how she could acquire skills that would enable her to earn a better income and avoid strenuous and exploitative labor. The safe space seemed like just what Ritah needed.
“When I joined the safe space, I learned so much and I felt safe from all the judgement I was getting. The peer mentors helped me to discover my strengths, and when I mentioned that I enjoyed braiding hair, they brought a hairdressing teacher to come and help me learn and improve my skills. Through these lessons, I became really good and confident at doing hair.”
Ritah currently runs a mobile hairdressing business in her village, where she travels to her client’s houses and does their hair. This means she always has at least UGX 20,000 ($5) in her bag, something she explained she could not have imagined before. Her future aspirations entail expanding her hairdressing business, which she intends to achieve by leveraging the two-Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLA) she belongs to, one of which was formed by girls from her safe space.
“I want to grow my hairdressing business and learn more styles. Right now, I’m grateful to God that I always have money in my bag, thanks to the skills I got from the safe space. I feel good because I am making my own money, and I have control over my life. No one can take advantage of me anymore.”