Our New Partner Organization: FROWI

By Lena Willis

How was your organization born? What urged you to create it?

“FROWI was born out of a conference on economic empowerment of women in Uganda that was organized by All In One Women’s Association (ALOWA). After the conference, a group of women activists realized a need of working for the empowerment of Women and Girls for Society transformation. A strategic planning meeting was held by the women activists and they designed a strategy with programs that meets the needs and challenges of socially and economically disadvantaged women and girls, and FROWI is working and it prepares women and girls for personal, career, and economic success.

What urged us to create FROWI, we all know that in our society today with most marginalized communities, girls and women are the ones who experience injustices compared to men. As FROWI, we are working with communities to fight poverty but we know well that this requires focusing on girls and women so that they can achieve equality. Women and girls are denied opportunities to make decisions or participate in social, economic or political processes. And where girls and women are denied freedom to leave their homes or walk down a street, they struggle to earn a living, attend school or even visit a doctor. These challenges encouraged women to create FROWI.”

Could you describe what your organization does? What kind of concrete actions

do you engage in?

“By providing finance to women and girls, we support women to advance economic opportunities that broadens worker ownership and equity, and we strengthen Women workers’ voices—with a focus on increasing racial, gender, and class representation.

We invest in child and domestic care workers and empower them for economic success. We organize women and support them to strengthen cross-border unity, voice, and action.

Through capacity building and trainings, we expand public services spending that prioritizes equitable, high-quality services that are responsive to needs of Women.

Through media programs, we support and empower women to fight corruption and increase sanctions and enforcement against the theft of public resources meant for empowering Women.

We conduct round tables with stakeholders to reshape taxation to fight inequality so that corporations and the wealthy contribute their fair share to society.

Through advocacy and networking, we promote climate justice by challenging the outsized role and interference of corporate power in climate policy.”

What are the values you wish to promote?

“Our core values for include the following; professionalism, integrity, commitment, respect, love and concern for others, equality for all, impartiality, empathy, excellence, diversity, transformation and transparency.”

What are your goals as an association?

“Our overall goal Empower Women, defeat injustice and achieve Equality for all. Our objectives include the following.

1) To see that all girls and young women, regardless of ethnicity, income level or social status, are nurtured and empowered to reach their fullest potential.

2) To educate and empower socially and economically disadvantaged women and girls to make healthy choices in every aspect of their lives by providing personal growth and development services through one-on-one and group mentoring, workshops and career development programs.

3) To develop and implement programs aimed at improving the standards of living of Women and their communities through sustainable use of the available resources.

4) To empower women and young girls and enable them participate in development activities equally as men.

5) To advocate for the full participation of Women in economic, social, political and decision-making processes.”

How are you funded?

“FROWI accepts donations and grants from the following

1) Individuals

2) Foundations

3) Companies

4) Corporate institutions

5) Multilateral donor agencies

6) International organizations”

What do you hope to achieve in association with Kota?

“In association with Kota Alliance, FROWI can be elevated to effectively empowered women through implementing programs and projects that enhance the wellbeing of women. In addition, FROWI will achieve the goal of improving gender equality and supporting women in Uganda.”

What do you hope to achieve within the next year?

“Within the next year, we hope to achieve the following;

1) To see that 500 girls and young women, regardless of ethnicity, income level or social status, are nurtured and empowered to reach their fullest potential.

2) To educate and empower 1000 socially and economically disadvantaged women and girls to make healthy choices in every aspect of their lives by providing personal growth and development services through one-on-one and group mentoring, workshops and career development programs.

3) To develop and implement programs aimed at improving the standards of living of 2000 Women and their communities through sustainable use of the available resources.

4) To empower 1500 women and young girls in the four regions of Uganda and enable them participate in development activities equally as men.

5) To implement an advocacy project that will promote full participation of Women in economic, social, political and decision-making processes.”