1) Emily Owembabazi's life changed dramatically when her husband abandoned her, leaving her as a single mother of three. She joined FOWODE's vulnerable women's group and learned new skills like tailoring through their training programs. 2) FOWODE young leaders held a national debate on ensuring free and fair elections in Uganda. About 300 youth discussed the role everyone plays in reducing voter bribery. 3) FOWODE is committed to empowering women in Uganda to promote gender equality and change their communities.

1. Uganda@50
23rd March to 27th March 2015
FOWODE E-NEWS
FOWODE E-NEWS, P.O BOX 7176, Kampala Uganda | Plot 15 Vubya Close, Ntinda Nakawa Rd. Ema
fowode@fowode.org Web: www.fowode.org.
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MY LIFE NEVER REMAINED THE SAME –
EMILY OWEMBABAZI
• MY LIFE NEVER REMAINED THE SAME – EMILY OWEMBABAZI
• FOWODE YOUNG LEADERS HOLD DEBATE

2. Fowode is commined to continue empowering women and men so that they can influence th e communities in which they live in
Emily Owembabazi was on the verge of giving up when her husband abandoned her and went to Kampala to
“look for money” to support his family’. Emily stayed at home as a housewife. Reality hit her when he cut off all
forms of communication and never returned home. The 32-year-old mother of 3 had to take on a new title of single
mother.
She didn’t know where to start from, as she was dependent on her estranged husband. Stress, anger, frustration
and lack of income to support her family set in.
“That is about the same time, people came recruiting people to join the FOWODE vulnerable women’s group. I
didn’t know what the price of participating would be, but I allowed myself the chance to see where the journey
would take me.
I learnt how to work hard and be able to fend for my family, pay school fees for my children including my step
daughter with or without his support. After attending FOWODE’s enterprise development trainings, I began
thinking deeply about the project I could do. I saved some money, which I used to pay tuition for my tailoring
course, and later I bought my own sewing machine. I soon realized that sweaters had ready market. I therefore
worked hard and raised some money, which my brother topped up, and I bought another sewing machine for
making sweaters.
I later joined the FOWODE Village Budget Club and I am now very assertive and aware of my rights and
responsibilities as a citizen. I no longer allow to be delayed or mistreated at the health center because I know
where and how to complain. I am more aware of the issues that are in my community. Whenever we visit schools,
I use it as an opportunity to interact with my children’s teachers to find out how my children are performing. I no
longer miss school Parents Teachers Association (PTA) general meetings because that is good platform for me to
participate in planning for our school.
She encourages all women to have power, wisdom and ability to make a difference in their communities and that
women should learn to work hard and desist from being dependent on men. I keep on wondering how hard life
would be for me had I sat down and waited for support from my husband.”
“ The only thing that stands between a woman and what she wants from life is often merely the will to try it and
the faith to believe that it is possible” says Emily Owembabazi ,
At FOWODE, like never before are committed to empowering women in the fifteen districts of Uganda where we
work. We are convinced that women that are empowered in turn change the communities within which they are
living.
MY LIFE NEVER REMAINED THE SAME – EMILY OWEMBABAZI
Our mission is to promote gender
equality in all areas of decision making
through capacity development,
community empowerment, policy
engagement and strategic partnerships

3. The FOWODE Young leaders alumni were one of the organizers of a national debate that was entitled "Voter
Bribery free elections, A Future the Youth Desire” to follow the conversations please follow the hash tag
#YouthDebateUg. This conversation was broadcast live of WBS television.
About 300 youth in Uganda, from Universities across the city gathered to discuss this pertinent issue, the key
question that emerged from the discussion was who was to blame for voter bribery and it came out strongly that
it takes two to tangle. Therefore the youth have a role to play in ensuring that they speak out against voter bribery.
While Fred Ekakoro the president of the FOWODE Young leaders association (FYLAA) believes that the youth
of Ugandan should work diligently to provide for self-sustainability. He encouraged the participants to engage
in voluntary activities as they strive to defy the “something for something” attitude that is common among the
young people of Uganda
Some of the participants were pessimistic to even the consideration of even going to vote because they believe
that unless there are electoral reforms, there is no way the elections will be free and fair.
Lilian Aber one of the panelists asserted that corruption impacts directly on our economy status and that
children in schools are no longer working hard to succeed because some of them that have rich parents will have
a job as soon as they have graduated.
Gender and Governance News you might have missed
FOWODE
YOUNG
LEADERS
HOLD
DEBATE

4. Drama as Mbabazi wife storms NRM meet
Drama ensued yesterday when President Museveni’s guards denied the wife of ex-prime minister
Amama Mbabazi entry to the NRM Women’s League conference.
Ms Jacqueline Mbabazi is the national chairperson of the women’s league. However, when she
arrived in the morning hours, Special Forces Command officers informed her she was not on the
list of the accredited 112 NRM district chairpersons who were supposed to attend.
For several hours, Ms Mbabazi was locked out of the meeting. She sat disconsolate and vowed to
stay put until the party chairman, President Museveni, arrives in the afternoon.
See more: http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/Drama-as-Mbabazi-wife-storms-NRM-
meet/-/688334/2664686/-/1a3rgez/-/index.html
Why this is a dangerous moment: Uganda confirms Shabaab threat, US issues attack warning
UGANDA said Thursday it was boosting security over threats by Somalia’s Al-Shabaab militants,
hours after the US embassy in Kampala warned its citizens of a possible imminent terror attack.In
an emergency warning issued late Wednesday, the US mission in Kampala said it had “received
information of possible terrorist threats to locations where Westerners, including US citizens,
congregate in Kampala, and that an attack may take place soon.”Ugandan defence spokesman
Paddy Ankunda said the warning was “absolutely” linked to the Al-Qaeda-linked Islamists,
who carried out a major attack in Kampala five years ago.“We’ve always known there’s a threat
and we’ve warned the public,” he said, adding the militants appeared to have “have identified
vulnerable points” as possible targets and that security had been stepped up in response to the
threat. Uganda is a key contributor to the African Union’s AMISOM force battling the Shabaab
inside Somalia.
See more: http://mgafrica.com/article/2015-03-26-uganda-confirms-shebab-threat-us-issues-
attack-warning#.VRPa-gCROCM.twitter
'Opposition not to blame for poor service delivery'
GOVERNMENT spokesperson Ofwono Opondo, has challenged local governments not to blame their failures in
service delivery on the opposition.Opondo who is also the executive director of the Uganda Media Center
revealed that majority of the local governments are under the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) and
hence should take full responsibility.“We cannot say that opposition is frustrating service delivery in local
governments where majority of our councils are dominated by NRM. It either incompetence or negligence
which is causing all this,” Ofwono said.
See more: http://www.newvision.co.ug/news/666238-opposition-not-to-blame-for-poor-service-
delivery-ofwono.html
FOWODE E-NEWS
P. o Box 7176, Kampala, Uganda
Plot 15, Vubya Close, Ntinda Nakawa
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