ZENZ SUPPORTS YOUNG WOMEN IN KAMPALA
In Kampala thousands of young women are forced into prostitution to earn money for food, rent and other basic expenses. Several of them come from the countryside to Uganda's capital with promises of good job opportunities. Owners of bars, restaurants, hotels and the like promise them that they can work for them and make good money. Instead it turns out that they have to sleep with the customers. The women end up selling their bodies as prostitutes to be able to support themselves and their family. Many of the women become pregnant with men, they never see again.
ZENZ supports the effort of PlanBørnefonden to get the young women in Kampala out of this terrible situation. By giving them a free hairdressing education, they get the opportunity to make money without selling their bodies to get food on the table. Our collaboration with PlanBørnefonden makes it possible to provide hope and new opportunities for the vulnerable young women.
“At ZENZ we are constantly working to make the world an even better place for everyone to live in. We do not only work for a healthier and cleaner environment and climate. Our goal is also to promote equality between men and women. We can do that by supporting PlanBørnefonden's entrepreneurial project for young women in Uganda. Through the project we can help them out of prostitution so they can get an education and a job, which can help them to a more secure future,”
- ZENZ owners Anne Sophie Skjødt Willumsen and Jørgen Skjødt
TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE
Ever since ZENZ was founded it has supported important initiatives that promote our welfare. Equality between men and women is one of them. By supporting PlanBørnefonden the women in Kampala get the opportunity to learn a craft, meanwhile their children are taken care of in a safe place during the day. PlanBørnefonden has established kindergardens, where the children are taken care of, while their mothers are trained as tailors or hairdressers. The mothers are also taught to take care of the children's well-being, nutrition and health.
“We are convinced that when we help and support others, we can spread our vision of creating a better world for all of us. ZENZ believes that if you can make a difference, you should make a difference,”
- Anne Sophie Skjødt Willumsen and Jørgen Skjødt
BECOMING ROLE MODELS
Our partners are carefully selected. They must be able to document that they behave responsibly, locally as well as globally. ZENZ is constantly working towards becoming a role model for their colleagues in the industry. By leading the way, we believe that we can make a difference together. It is our hope that through the collaboration with PlanBørnefonden, it is possible to make a difference for those who really need it.
“It is absolutely crucial that companies like ZENZ show social responsibility and join in on the fight to promote World Goal 5: gender equality."
- Dorthe Petersen, director of the PlanBørnefonden.
AN EDUCATION IS THE WAY OUT OF PROSTITUTION
Once the young girls have completed their internship, they will get help to get an apprenticeship as a hairdresser or tailor. PlanBørnefonden follows the girls throughout the process, and also advises the girls on how they can start a business together. Among other things they also contribute with sewing machines, start-up capital and guidance.
“The rights and opportunities of the young women are secured by teaching them new skills and employment, which helps them to move on from an impossible situation. Companies like ZENZ and their customers help to make this possible.”
- Dorthe Petersen, director of the PlanBørnefonden.
FACE A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE
Through the project with PlanBørnefonden three out of four of the women in Kampala get a job after graduation, and one in four of the young women has opened their own salon or business. The women participating in the project do not only get the opportunity to have a well paid job, they also get help processing the past, so that they can face a sustainable future.
“The women are helped to process trauma and to rebuild their self-confidence and self-worth. We support them with a psychosocial treatment and they will get in touch with role models, who are former sex workers.”
- Dorthe Petersen, director of the PlanBørnefonden.
FACTS
- 400 young women are given an education that guarantees them an income.
- 200-300 children from 0-8 years can be in a safe place, while their mothers are at work.
- Three out of four women who have already received an education through the project have subsequently got a job.
- One in four of the women has opened their own salon or business.