By Reuben Olita -Busia
Girls’ empowerment stories took centre stage during the 2025 International Day of the Girls child held at Knut Multipurpose Hall in Amagoro, Teso North Sub-County on Saturday.
Speakers gave tale stories to the attentive girls on the tenets of maintaining their dignity and virginity instead of rushing into luxurious love.
The proprietor of The Urban Loft Cafe in Busia Town Taaka Awori narrated the challenges she faced with her elder sister and current County Executive Committee Member for Lands, Housing and Urban Development Pamela Awori.
” I am an entrepreneur, and the last born in a family of four and hailing from Funyula village in Samia Sub-County,” she narrated.
Taaka stunned the girls with revelation how she and her sister Pamela used to walk to school, and before school, they used to milk cows, noting that she owned one cow and her sister two.
” There was no running water. After school, we could go and fetch water and wash clothes for everybody in the family,” she said.
Taaka also narrated the challenges she faced in putting the restaurant in Busia after initially acquiring a rental building in 2024.
” Despite completing the required renovation and ready to take off, the owner declined the offer and ordered me not to start operating the hotel business I intended to do,” she narrated.
She added: ” I was very angry, but what could I do. I obtained land that is domiciled between Pramuk and Chauma and constructed a standard restaurant, The Urban Loft Cafe.”
” Running a business has also their own challenges. KRA will come for you. Being compliant has a lot of sacrifice. Most employers ask for experience before hiring their staff, less oblivious that knowledge is power,” she said.
Taaka told the girls to be proactive, noting that it sets them far, and challenged them to emulate Michelle Obama, Hillary Clinton, and Nobel Peace Prize Winner the late Wangari Mathai.
” Your voice is vital, especially as an agent. Know your principles and your values. Time changes or shifts everything. Those are my nuggets,” she concluded.
CECM Pamela Awori said Taaka came after her and challenged the girls not to suffer in silence but to remain fearful and embrace spiritual nourishment.
Tata Dr Elizabeth Laini Asegu narrated a story of six girls Asiyo, Aure, Aule, Napangor, Aujat, and Adeke, who was lame and has leprosy.
” A siyo had a boyfriend called Osabangor. He invited her to visit him, which was against the culture that it’s a man who should visit the girl’s home first,” Tata Asegu noted.
Asiyo chose her second born sister Aure to accompany her. Unaware to them, Adeke decided to follow them. As they reached the man’s home, they spotted Adeke with no other option but to allow her to join them.
After supper, Adeke made a spot check of the compound, including the granary, where shockingly she saw a pile heads of human beings.
” During sleeping time, Adeke remained awake throughout. She noticed saw Osabangor sharpening a knife and sword, ready to execute his ill schemes,” Asegu said.
The man stopped the execution plan after noticing Adeke was awake. Adeke tricked Osabangor to go to the river and fetch her water in a container that had holes beneath it ( Eterero), which only yielded to harvest of frogs, fish and other reptiles.
That delay gave Adeke a chance to have her sisters and her escape. On the way, they met a frog that wondered why the girls were running at a lighting speed. After narrating the story, the frog swallowed the girls.
When the man returned from the river and found the girls missing, he ran after them and found the docile frog.” Have you seen three girls passing through here? No. The frog entered a hole of a huge rock.”
Osabangor called an elephant to help overturn the rock but in vain. The frog later came out and went to the home of the girls, where it vomited the girls who were still alive.
Asegu told the girls not to be shaken by men who are now in trouble. ” Women have been very strong, forgive them, don’t threaten them, love them, and be faithful and respectful to your husband.”
Asegu told girls to observe three Ts; tune, time, and tongue. Tuning has destroyed marriages, telling women to be always available to their men. They should always have time for their homes and husbands and have a soft voice that brings happiness.
Cynthia Atieno from KCB Malaba narrated her progression from primary where she scored a paltry 271 marks, getting a Bt in form four, first class honours in Bcom accounting option, telling girls that their dreams are valid.
Founder and Executive Director Jenga Afrihub, a non-profit orgaanization working with adolescents and young people, Abukayo Murunga, said the organization was the event host whose theme was: I am the change, I Take the Lead.
Participants included Ivin advocate, KCB Malaba, KNUT Teso Campus, Kocholia Comprehensive school, St Thomas Amagoro Girls, Amagoro VTC and teachers.
International Day of the Girl Child is an international observance day declared by the United Nations; it is also called the Day of Girls and the International Day of the Girl.
October 11, 2012, was the first day of the Girl Child. The observation supports more opportunity for girls and increases awareness of gender inequality faced by girls worldwide based upon their gender.
This inequality includes areas such as access to education, nutrition, legal rights, medical care and protection from discrimination, violence against women, and forced child marriage.
The celebration of the day also “reflects the successful emergence of girls and young women as a distinct cohort in development policy, programming, campaigning, and research.
