Louise visiting the Jinja Women's Association
Louise Redknapp visited Uganda earlier this month to see how some of the money raised this Red Nose Day is helping to change the lives across Africa.
Red Nose Day 2011 raised over £100 million ans in response to the public's incredible support, the UK Government contributed £16 million to Comic Relief's work in improving health and education across Africa to match the £16 million Comic Relief has committed to these areas.
As Lousie witnessed in Uganda, this money is already making a difference to the lives of poor and vulnerable people across the continent.
Louise visited the Jinja Women's Association where she met children and adults who are benefiting from Red Nose Day cash and was deeply moved by their stories and aspirations. At the project Louise met Dina, one of the 7,000 girls the project has helped to get an education.
Dina is 12 years old and lives with her family in a slum, where every day is a constant struggle just to eat, but thanks to the project Dina is now getting an education which will give her opportunities for the future. Over the next year, the project will help a further 2,000 girls go to school.
Education gives children more opportunity and more choice, which can hold the key to beating poverty. Girls in particular are often denied an education but by getting more girls into school, this can have a transformational effect on a whole generation. The longer a girl stays in school, the more knowledge she has to help take good care of her family, to seek medical support when needed and to get a job that will help her support her family and send her own children to school.
Louise says: “Seeing this project and meeting these girls has been an amazing experience. It's shown me that for these girls going to school isn't just about learning to read and write but also about gaining the life skills that will help them make more informed choices in the future.
"All the girls I met are so happy to be at school and are really excited about their futures. Saying that, although they're really happy and huge steps are being made there is still a long way to go. I've seen a huge amount of poverty which will stay with me forever."
Secretary of State for International Development, Andrew Mitchell, says: “The Government has backed the British public’s generosity in supporting initiatives such as the Jinja Women’s Association’s education programme for young girls. Education for girls is fundamental in the fight to lift people out of poverty. They grow up to make more informed choices about their own lives and those of their families. It can have a transformative effect on a whole generation.”
This is just one of the projects that is helping people across Africa and with the extra support from the UK Government, Comic Relief can help twice as many people benefit from better healthcare and education across Africa.
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