Programs supporting vulnerable girls to access and remain in school across Uganda are set to expand after Absa Bank Uganda committed Shs700 million in proceeds from the 2026 Absa KH3 7 Hills Run to eight organisations working with girls and communities.
The funding will support interventions aimed at addressing some of the barriers that prevent girls from enrolling, remaining in school, returning after dropping out and progressing through their education.
Although Uganda has made progress in expanding access to education, significant inequalities remain, particularly among children from poorer households.
A 2024 study by the Ministry of Education and Sports, the European Union and UNICEF found that secondary school enrolment stood at 43.1% among children from the wealthiest households, compared with just 8.2% among those from the poorest households.
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The study identified financial constraints as a major factor affecting school attendance and retention. For girls in vulnerable communities, these challenges can be compounded by teenage pregnancy, long distances to school, gender-based violence, inadequate facilities and disability.
The Shs700 million will therefore support a broader range of interventions, including school fees and scholastic materials, bicycles for girls travelling long distances, school re-entry programmes for teenage mothers, clean water and sanitation, disability support and assistive devices, counselling and mentorship, vocational training and life skills.
Speaking at the handover of the proceeds, Absa Bank Uganda Managing Director David Wandera said the circumstances in which a girl grows up can determine whether she remains in school and completes her education.
"A girl's circumstances can still have a significant bearing on whether she is able to remain in school and complete her education."
Wandera said the barriers vary from one community to another, requiring targeted interventions.
"For a girl in a vulnerable household, the barrier may be the cost of basic scholastic materials; elsewhere it may be distance to school, teenage motherhood, disability or inadequate water and sanitation."
He said Absa chose to work through organisations already operating in affected communities rather than create parallel programmes.
"Our responsibility now is to follow that support through and measure what it enables; more girls returning to school, remaining there and progressing with their education."
Funding targets different barriers
Through the Uganda Red Cross Society, the funding will expand the existing Keep A Girl in School programme. The initiative will provide menstrual-health kits to 10,000 vulnerable girls, education to 15,000 adolescents, teachers and caregivers across 100 schools, and support for 1,000 teenage mothers to return to school.
Windle International Uganda will support girls in refugee-hosting and hard-to-reach communities through scholastic materials, bicycles, dignity kits, counselling and school reintegration. The programme will also support girls formerly living on Kampala's streets who have been re-enrolled in schools in Napak.
World Vision Uganda, Amref Health Africa, Plan International Uganda and RIDE-AFRICA will strengthen school and community support through interventions including clean water and sanitation, changing facilities, menstrual health, teacher capacity building, school clubs and skills development.
The programme will also address challenges faced by girls living with disabilities.
Kyaninga Child Development Centre will support 100 girls with disabilities and work with 18 schools to strengthen inclusive learning environments.
Meanwhile, Baylor College of Medicine Children's Foundation-Uganda will support 1,000 girls across Hoima, Mubende and Fort Portal through education assistance, counselling, mentorship, vocational training and mechanisms to identify girls at risk of dropping out.
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Together, the interventions are designed to address barriers at different stages of a girl's education journey--from entering school and staying in school to returning after dropping out and progressing towards completion.
More than 8,000 people participated in the fourth Absa KH3 7 Hills Run in May 2026, continuing an initiative launched in 2023 to mobilise resources for girls' education.
Absa said the next phase of the programme will focus on monitoring how the funds are used and measuring outcomes across the eight implementing organisations.
The bank will track indicators including the number of girls reached, school enrolment, re-entry, retention and progression.
The approach signals a shift from funding individual education needs to addressing the wider social and economic barriers that can prevent vulnerable girls from completing their education.
