Coca-Cola Partners with NUDIPU to Support Disabled School-going Girls

Coca-Cola Beverages Uganda (CCBU) handed over a cheque of Shs10 million for the training and economic inclusion of women with disabilities. The money, which was handed over to the National Union of Disabled Persons of Uganda’s (NUDIPU) CEO Esther Kyozira, will be used to support a project in which several women with disabilities will be trained to make reusable sanitary towels that will support retention of girls in school by promoting menstrual hygiene.

NUDIPU is an umbrella organization that advocates for the inclusion of Persons with Disabilities and their concerns in the mainstream development processes. The organization was established in 1987 to provide support to people with all forms of disabilities such as the lame, deaf, visually impaired, and autistic among others. A study by UNESCO found that 1 in 10 girls in Sub-Saharan Africa misses school while on their period with some girls missing as much as 10-20% of school days during a school term.

This is why CCBU has implemented a multi-sector approach through which different organisations can collaborate to keep girls in school. “We have a duty to contribute positively to society. We have supported a number of different collaborations, but we are honoured to be doing this with NUDIPU. It is a partnership that is close to our hearts,” said Pearl Nimusiima, the CCBU Public Affairs and Communications Manager.

Esther Kyozira, NUDIPU CEO, said that people with disabilities, including herself who is visually impaired, are grateful for the collaboration that will not only improve women’s livelihoods but will also help to keep young girls in school. Such collaborations, she said, should be adopted by other corporate organisations as a measure through which people with disabilities are equipped with skills to improve their disposable and household incomes instead of relying on handouts for survival.

“We are grateful that CCBU is making a difference in the lives of persons living with disabilities. This is a collaboration that will benefit many of our people for many years to come. Disability is not inability; we only need a helping hand, sometimes, to make our lives better."

Speaking at the handover in Kampala, Nimusiima said Coca-Cola Beverages Uganda aims to create greater shared opportunity for the business and the communities it serves across the value chain through economic inclusion initiatives such as the support for training and skilling of women and girls. “Opportunity is more than just money, it’s about a better future for people and their communities everywhere on the African continent,” said Nimusiima.

“We aim to create inclusive growth opportunities for women, youth, and people with disabilities by defining a consistent way of implementing economic inclusion programmes, drawing on leading practice for implementing these programmes. Whether donating money, our time or our expertise, we take our responsibility to the communities we call home seriously.”

Whereas CCBU will be providing funds to support the sourcing of trainers, purchase of project inputs, and promotion of branding and visibility, NUDIPU will be tasked with ensuring proper implementation of the project through identifying and registering women with disabilities to participate in the activities of the project, distributing re-usable sanitary pads to the selected schools, and demonstrations on how re-usable sanitary pads are made, will be conducted to realise a multiplier effect. CCBU is committed to supporting communities by empowering women, youth and people with disabilities. Last year, the company supported the National Association of the Deaf in Mukono district and the Makerere Deaf Community with fridges as a way of improving their businesses and livelihoods.