As Mpanga Secondary School prepares to celebrate its 60th anniversary this December, the institution remains an inspiration in Fort Portal City. Yet for many girls in the region, the journey to education is still riddled with barriers that threaten to derail their dreams.
Fort Portal, which has the second-highest HIV prevalence in Uganda, faces unique social and economic challenges. Many new infections are among adolescent girls and young women aged 15–24, with poverty often forcing them out of school and into risky situations.
To confront this, the “Keep the Girl Child in School” initiative is breaking the cycle by pairing financial support with early warning systems to prevent dropouts, and peer mentoring to strengthen resilience.
For the third year running, proceeds from the Absa KH3–7 Hills Run have funded the program, a partnership between Absa Uganda and the Baylor Foundation Uganda. It currently supports 50 adolescent girls and young women across five schools in Fort Portal and Kabarole districts.
At Mpanga Secondary School alone, 15 girls have received tuition, scholastic materials, and meals, giving them a renewed chance to pursue their education.
During a recent visit, Absa’s Sector Head for Development Organizations Coverage – United Kingdom, Jolene Abshire, led a delegation that saw firsthand the transformation in the students’ lives.
At Karambi Primary School, Head Teacher Mr. Tusiime praised the initiative for unlocking potential. “These girls are intelligent and full of promise. All they needed was someone to believe in them and lift the burden of school fees,” he said, as students shared their stories of hope and determination.
The impact reaches far beyond Fort Portal. Outside the city, proceeds from the Absa Run have supported more than 21,000 girls in districts such as Abim, Mbale, and Mayuge with scholarships, educational resources, water and hygiene facilities, and the encouragement to stay in school.
What starts as a step in the Absa Hills Run goes much further, into the classrooms and futures of Uganda’s girls. Each kilometre is an investment in safety, health, and opportunity.
For Mpanga SS and other schools like it, the message is clear, education is not just a right but a bridge to a better future and with community-backed initiatives like this, that bridge is getting stronger every year.