Investing in Africa’s Future: The Case for Women’s Skills Development for Victims of Violence

Today marks the beginning of the International 16 Days of Activism to End Violence Against Women, a global call to confront a crisis that remains deeply rooted in many communities. For years, our work has focused on raising awareness on violence against women, advocating for survivors, and counselling those navigating the trauma of abuse. These efforts matter deeply. They offer comfort, validation and emotional support to women who often feel invisible and unheard. But as powerful as these services are, they cannot, on their own, break the chains that keep Ugandan women trapped in violent homes.

Uganda has some of the highest rates of violence against women in East Africa. Studies consistently show that nearly 45% of ever-married or partnered Ugandan women have experienced physical, sexual, or emotional violence at the hands of an intimate partner. Many never report their abuse, not because it is minor, but because escape is almost impossible. There are no state-run women’s shelters. No welfare system to fall back on. No housing support. No emergency income. No community safety networks like those found in Western countries. A woman living in poverty, with children to feed, trapped in a violent home, is left with a painful choice: stay and endure, or leave and face hunger, homelessness, and danger.

Every week, our organisation meets women who describe living like prisoners inside their own houses. They are beaten, insulted, controlled, and silenced. They are denied money for food, health care, and school fees. Some women are locked indoors during the day. Others are forced to work in fields but are not allowed to keep a single coin of their earnings. These women come to us for counselling, for guidance, and for someone to stand with them. But as we walk through case after case, one truth repeats itself: without economic independence, most women cannot leave.

Through years of advocacy, home visits, counselling sessions, and community dialogues, we have learned that the root of women’s entrapment is not just violence itself—it is dependency. The cycle of abuse in Uganda is fuelled by poverty, unemployment, and a lack of marketable skills. When a woman cannot earn her own money, she cannot shape her own future. She is forced to tolerate abuse because her children need to eat. Her survival depends on a man who harms her.

To truly end violence against women here, we must do more than raise awareness. We must offer a pathway to freedom.

This is why we are launching our building fund for a Women’s Skills Development Centre. This is more than a building; it is a lifeline. A place where vulnerable women—especially those living in violent homes—can receive hands-on training that leads to real income. With skills in areas such as hairdressing, tailoring, bakery, coffee processing, mushroom farming, and small-business development, a woman gains something powerful: choice. The choice to leave. The choice to protect her children. The choice to build a life of dignity.

Economic empowerment is not a luxury; it is a rescue tool. Research across Uganda shows that women who have their own income are significantly more likely to leave violent relationships or avoid returning to their abusers. Studies on household dynamics reveal that women who control even a small source of income experience reduced levels of violence and greater decision-making power. This is because economic independence shifts the balance of power. It gives a woman her voice back.

Our current advocacy and counselling work changes lives every day. Women find emotional healing, clarity, and a safe space to speak their truth. Yet we know these services only scratch the surface. They soothe the wounds, but they cannot build the bridge to safety. Only skills development can do that. Freedom becomes attainable when a woman can support herself. Confidence grows when she knows she can feed her children. Hope rises when she sees a future where she is no longer at the mercy of someone else’s control.

The women we serve are resilient, determined and full of potential—but their circumstances hold them back. By investing in this centre, you are investing in transformation. You are helping build training rooms, providing equipment, supplying tools, and creating opportunities that will outlive any single donation. You are helping create a space where thousands of women can step into independence and rewrite their stories.

During these 16 Days of Activism, we are asking the world to take a stand that goes beyond awareness. Help us build a place where women can gain the skills that give them freedom. Help us create a future where no woman is trapped in violence simply because she has no income to survive on her own. Your support becomes a direct act of resistance against the forces that silence and oppress women.

When you invest in a woman’s skills, you invest in her safety, her dignity, her family, and Africa’s future. By helping us build this Women’s Skills Development Centre, you become part of changing the story—for generations to come.

You can donate to help us build our Women’s Skills Training Centre through our donation page.