A Passion for Health: Empowering Girls and Building Healthy Communities Through Agribusiness

Economic dependence is a primary injustice facing out of school girls. With the world’s youngest population and endemic unemployment, family resources in Uganda are stretched and girls do not get the same opportunities as boys. Less than 50% of girls complete primary school and less than 1% finish secondary school in rural areas; once a girl leaves school she is less able to seek resources. With prevalent teenage pregnancy and the highest HIV/AIDS rate nationwide, there is a vulnerable population of girls in Western Uganda engaging in risky behaviors like sex-work or early marriage. Educational attainment strongly affects reproductive behavior, fertility, infant mortality and attitudes on health. KadAfrica is an innovative social business using passion fruit farming as a way for out of school girls to become empowered decision makers. We equip girls with knowledge and skills to begin their own farms as they go through a proprietary life-skills and health curriculum. Previously unemployed girls become financially literate, generating income through agribusiness. They gain the resources to practice family planning and educate their daughters—breaking the poverty cycle and building healthy communities. KadAfrica provides a ready market for girls’ fruit, which we resell for wholesale and export—covering our costs. Through this integrated and sustainable approach, we will be able to provide training to more than 6000 girls and impact 30000 community members over the next decade.