BOYS OF PROMISE
PROJECT TITLE: BOYS OF PROMISE: EMPOWERING THE BOY CHILD FOR RESILIENCE AND PURPOSE IN GREATER KIGEZI”
NAME OF THE ORGANIZATION: RUTANDEKIRE AND BUREBE FOUNDATION
FEASIBILITY STUDY: JUNE-2025
PROPOSED BUDGET: $94,595
Contact person: DR. JOHN BOSCO TURYASINGURA
CONTACT: +256, 782845778/ 702824553
Email: info@rutandekireandburebefoundation.org/ turyasingurajb@gmail.com
RUTANDEKIRE AND BUREBE FOUNDATION LTD, in partnership with the Youth and Children Ministry of Kabale Diocese, proposes a three-year research project titled Boys of Promise: Empowering the Boy Child for Resilience and Purpose in Greater Kigezi, with an estimated budget of USD 470,650. While Uganda and the global community have made remarkable progress in advancing the girl child agenda, this necessary focus has unintentionally marginalized the boy child, particularly in rural and underserved areas such as Greater Kigezi (Kabale, Kisoro, Rubanda, Rukiga, Rukungiri, and Kanungu districts). Boys in this region increasingly grapple with school dropouts, substance abuse, unemployment, limited mentorship opportunities, and emotional distress—factors that undermine their potential to contribute meaningfully to families, communities, and national development.
This project directly contributes to the realization of Uganda’s Vision 2040, the Third National Development Plan (NDPIII), and the National Strategy for Adolescent Boys and Young Men (2022–2027), by prioritizing inclusive and equitable human capital development. It also aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs):-
- SDG 4 (Quality Education): by promoting mentorship and resilience-building programs that enhance retention and skills development among boys;
- SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-Being): by addressing psychosocial health, reducing risky behaviours, and promoting emotional resilience;
- SDG 5 (Gender Equality): by balancing empowerment initiatives for both boys and girls to ensure inclusivity;
- SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth): by equipping boys with life skills and purpose discovery models that prepare them for productive livelihoods; and
- SDG 16 (Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions): by fostering responsible, purpose-driven young men who actively contribute to peaceful, resilient communities.
Methodologically, the project will employ a mixed-methods approach—integrating surveys, focus group discussions, and key informant interviews with boys, parents, teachers, community leaders, and other stakeholders. This evidence will inform practical and scalable interventions, including male mentorship programs, resilience-building curricula, and purpose discovery models tailored to the socio-cultural context of Greater Kigezi.
The anticipated outputs include improved psychosocial well-being, increased purpose-driven behaviour, reduced engagement in risky practices, and enhanced policy attention toward boys’ empowerment. By strategically investing in the boy child, RUTANDEKIRE AND BUREBE FOUNDATION LTD, in collaboration with the Youth and Children Ministry of Kabale Diocese, will contribute to a more balanced gender empowerment agenda and cultivate a generation of resilient, responsible, and productive men who will accelerate Uganda’s journey toward inclusive and sustainable development.
LIGHT FOR HOPE
The project titled Light for Hope: Empowering Child-Headed Families Through Sustainable Biogas Energy Solutions in the Kigezi Sub-Region will be implemented in six districts, namely Kabale, Rukiga, Rukungiri, Kanungu, Kisoro, and Rubanda. It will be spearheaded by Rutandekire and Burebe Foundation Limited, a faith-based, community-driven organization committed to improving livelihoods and fostering inclusive development.
Child-headed families in the Kigezi sub-region represent one of the most vulnerable groups in Uganda. These children, often orphaned by HIV/AIDS and further constrained by poverty and displacement, experience limited access to essential needs, including clean and affordable energy. Reliance on firewood and charcoal for cooking exposes them to significant health hazards such as respiratory diseases, while simultaneously accelerating environmental degradation and depriving them of educational opportunities due to time spent gathering fuel.
To address these multidimensional challenges, the project will introduce biogas technology as a clean, renewable, and sustainable alternative energy solution. The overall goal of the project is to improve the livelihoods, health, and dignity of 500 child-headed families by equipping them with household biogas systems, delivering technical and operational training, and providing continuous community support through a faith-based model.
The project will run for 24 months (two years), with a total budget of USD 850,000 (Eight Hundred Fifty Thousand United States Dollars). It is strategically aligned with Uganda Vision 2040, the Third National Development Plan (NDP III), the Parish Development Model (PDM), and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs 1 – No Poverty, 3 – Good Health and Well-being, 7 – Affordable and Clean Energy, 10 – Reduced Inequalities, and 13 – Climate Action).
FLOW FORWARD
Flow Forward: Empowering Girls Through Menstrual Hygiene Innovation and Sustainable Support in Primary and Secondary Schools in the Kigezi Sub-Region
Implementing Organization
Rutandekire and Burebe Foundation Limited
Project Duration
36 months (3 years)
Project Budget
USD 770,670 (Seven Hundred Seventy Thousand, Six Hundred Seventy Dollars)
Executive Summary
Menstrual hygiene management (MHM) remains a critical but often neglected challenge affecting adolescent girls in Uganda, particularly in rural regions such as the Kigezi sub-region. Inadequate access to affordable sanitary products, poor WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) facilities, limited menstrual health education, and persistent cultural taboos result in frequent school absenteeism, reduced academic performance, and elevated risk of school dropout among girls. According to the Ministry of Education and Sports (2022), one in ten schoolgirls in Uganda misses school during menstruation, often losing up to 20% of the academic year.
The Flow Forward project, led by Rutandekire and Burebe Foundation Limited, adopts a holistic, innovative, and sustainable approach to address these barriers in primary and secondary schools across the Kigezi sub-region, including Kabale, Rukiga, Rubanda, Kisoro, and Kanungu districts. The initiative recognizes menstrual health as both a human rights and education issue and aims to empower adolescent girls to manage menstruation with dignity, confidence, and improved school participation.
Over a three-year period, the project will:
- Distribute reusable menstrual hygiene kits to 5,000 girls across 50 schools;
- Train 200 teachers, peer educators, and health workers to provide gender-inclusive MHM education;
- Upgrade sanitation facilities in 50 schools to include private washrooms, reliable water access, and safe disposal bins;
- Conduct community sensitization campaigns in all 41 Catholic parishes of Kabale Diocese to reduce stigma and misinformation;
- Support five local women- and youth-led groups to produce and distribute reusable sanitary pads sustainably.
In addition, the project will establish 50 MHM school clubs, engage boys and male teachers in menstrual health awareness, and implement a functional monitoring and evaluation (M&E) system to track outcomes and impact.
By integrating infrastructure, education, innovation, and community engagement, Flow Forward aligns with Uganda’s National Menstrual Hygiene Management Guidelines (2021) and contributes directly to Sustainable Development Goals 4 (Quality Education) and 5 (Gender Equality).
Ultimately, the project envisions a future in which no girl in the Kigezi sub-region is left behind due to menstruation. By fostering supportive, stigma-free learning environments and promoting locally driven solutions, Rutandekire and Burebe Foundation Limited will contribute to the empowerment, retention, and overall well-being of adolescent girls, fostering a more equitable and resilient generation.