Jordan Sanders (Little Rock, Ark.) recently began her 10-week International Public Service Project with Girl Up Initiative Uganda. Sanders is in the early stages of an impact assessment of GUIU’s Adolescent Girls Program, which focuses on building local women and girls’ capacities for individual empowerment and social survival.
GUIU tackles gender inequality in an effort to ensure that women and girls become advocates for their human rights and build their self-esteem and self-worth. Sanders noted that the specialized nature of GUIU’s mission was a major factor in choosing to work with the organization for her international project. “I specifically wanted to work with girls because of my personal experiences,” Sanders said. “Through the help of non-formal education programs, I was able to grow from a shy girl with extremely low self-esteem into the woman I am today.”
Sanders noted that GUIU’s work is of special importance in Uganda. With 35% of its population currently of adolescent age, Uganda is one of the youngest countries in the world. Specifically, the country’s young women face a number of challenges, including gender inequality, sexual harassment, and teenage pregnancy.
In many ways Sanders’ previous experience working with youth, including the Arkansas Dream Center and the Faulkner Country Boys and Girls Club, prepared her for the initiatives of GUIU. As the winner of the 2017 Miss Essence Pageant at the University of Central Arkansas, her platform centered on a self-worth curriculum she created for women and girls.
“The Girl Up Initiative Uganda team is doing incredibly innovative work in this country, and I wanted to be a part of it,” Sanders said. “It’s important we focus on youth and pay close attention to what skills we are giving them.”
Sanders is set to conduct interviews and focus groups with AGP participants, teachers, and staff to assess how the program has impacted their lives. Some of those focus groups are already underway.
She met with teachers who are also co-facilitators of the program, many of whom have been with GUIU since its inception, and received first-hand accounts of the vast change they have witnessed through the program’s many participants. “Their wisdom was invaluable and it was an honor to hear their stories,” Sanders said.
Sanders also had the opportunity to meet and interview a group of previous camp attendees called Big Sisters, graduates of AGP who now take on leadership and mentorship roles for those currently participating. Later this summer, she will conduct interviews through sign language with participants from the Uganda School of the Deaf.
“The best thing about these focus groups was being able to listen and allowing them to lead the conversation,” Sanders said. “Through my time at the Clinton School I’ve learned the importance of listening before speaking.”
Shortly after arriving in Kampala, Sanders was tapped to facilitate a self-portrait workshop with participants. The girls were instructed to write five things that they liked about themselves before beginning work on their portrait. “Though it may seem simple, I wholeheartedly believe that leadership starts with how we view ourselves,” Sanders said. “The girls even made a gallery on the dining hall walls of all their self-portraits. It was really beautiful to see all their work.”
Sanders explained that her first year at the Clinton School opened her eyes to the importance of research, which can illustrate to donors and advocates that they are supporting impactful work.
“Professionally, I hope to continue to grow as a researcher in the field of women’s empowerment and gender equity,” Sanders said. “Personally, I want to continue to find things that I love and access my growth over the past year. My time here in Kampala has been some of the happiest of my year because I get to work on something that I really enjoy.”
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