“Muslim Teen Mothers Upraising Against Islam Forced Early Marriages, Marginalization and Extremism”

MUTMUA-IFEME-Global Reform Network

ANNUAL REPORT 2018-19

SUMMARY OF THE REPORT

1-Background to the Organisation

2-Activities carried out in 2018-19

-Meetings (Board, Executive, Kawempe Mayor’s Office and Local Council Leaders) for knowledge sharing to build stronger advocacy

-Mobilisation of fellow Muslim Teen Mothers victims of forced early marriages to stand together for a louder voice

-Vocational Skills Training of Teen Mothers Victims of Forced Early Marriages for income/self reliance

-Engage Influential Muslim Leaders, Local Leaders, Elders and others to discuss the problem and solve it

-Fundraisings from Muslim Leaders, Local Leaders and Communities around us to support our Advocacy

-Debates/Quizzes in Muslim schools for Children mostly boys to grow changed respecting Girls/Women rights

-Leadership Training of Muslim Teen Mothers and Women to Claim our Rights

3-Challenges

5-Recommendations

Background

Muslim Teen Mothers Upraising Against Islam Forced Early Marriages, Marginalization and Extremism MUTMUA-IFEME-Global Reform Network is an upcoming Network of us Muslim Teen Mothers suffering with pregnancies/babies and some of us with HIV/AIDS we got from forced early marriages based on Negative Islam Religion Belief that even Prophet Mohammad married one of his wives Aisha when she was only 6 years old and started Marital Relationship with her at 9 years!. Please you may visit our Facebook Page: muslimteenmothersupraisingagainstearlymarriages

Bellow our Organisation MUTMUA-IFEME Training Teen Mothers in Vocational Skills the best way for self reliance, Income generation, affording Drugs/Food, catering for Pregnancies/Babies and Resume School in Future. But we need a Training Centre which will also serve as an Emergence Home for Homeless Teen Mothers

.

Bellow see some of us Muslim Teen Mothers suffering with AIDS, Pregnancies/Babies due to Forced Early Marriages but the Rich Old Muslim Men who Defiled us can’t help us.

Above Photos some of us the Founders of MUTMUA-IFEME Organisation are Teen Mothers Victims of Forced Early Marriages. We are suffering with AIDS/Pregnancies/Babies. Some of us were Operated during birth because teenage pregnancies.

Bellow we Muslim & Non Muslim Teen Mothers together in MUTMUA Organization Publically BURNING FORCED EARLY MARRIAGES Practice and we must cause change.

Activities carried out in 2018

Activity A: -Meetings (Board, Executive, Kawempe Mayor’s Office, Muslim Leaders and Local Council Leaders) for knowledge sharing to build stronger advocacy

In 2018 we conducted at least more than 2 Board Meetings, 2 Executive Meeting, 3 Interactive meetings with Local Council 1 Officials and 2 Interactive Meetings with Officials from Mayor’s Office Kawempe and 1 meeting with Muslim Leaders.

Outcomes: -Muslim Leaders had got scared of us that we wanted to abuse our Islam Religion but when we shared with them our Mission, Objectives, Activities, Vision and Approach them being the major change agents, we shall involve in all the Activities, they highly appreciated and gave us some facts we didn’t know before eg

Themselves giving us Youtube Video links bellow where an Arab Mufti (Country Islam Leaders) known as Menk, was warning Muslim World to stop Forced Early Marriages

Below are Video links of Mufti Menk in his own tough words against forced child marriages: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0cYIPXCET0 Stop forcing your children to Marriage, they are not your belongings but belong to Allah (God) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxgR8Yo-E48 Forced Marriage is a Crime in Islam

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LRxbSa4uX8 Though Prophet Muhammad Married Aisha at 6 years of age, that was then and that was the norm then but Muslim Men should not base on that Misconception to marry young girls, Mufti Menk warns Muslim World.

This gives us Courage and Braveness to move further

Bellow see photos when we hosted these Muslim Leaders:

-From Board and Executive Meetings, effective financial handling, controls and procedures were put in place and a Finance Management Committee was formed.

-District Officials highlighted us about Resource Mobilisation and Management whereby they even Informed us that they have at the District 2 types of Funds for a Youths/Women CBO like ours and Promised to fund us.

-Local Council 1, even offered us a space where to conduct our Training of Hand Made Reusable Sanitary Pads free of charge

-A Projects Management Committee was formed depending on experiences some members have in implementing field Work

Activity B: -Mobilisation of fellow Muslim Teen Mothers victims of forced early marriages to stand together for a louder voice.

A team of MUTMUA-IFEME Global Reform Network reached out to Slums of Kisenyi, Katanga and Kawempe mostly where Muslims Dominate and researched about if there existed Girl Victims of Forced Early Marriages or Polygamous Families effects.

Outcomes:

-We managed to reach 31 Victims, shared with them common problems, counselled them and at least 20 are now part of us and others need to join us.

C: -Vocational Skills Training of Muslim Teen Mothers Victims of Forced Early Marriages in make Handmade Reusable Sanitary Pads for income to access medication, food, rent and even resume school in future.

Outcomes: At least 27 Teen mothers were able to train and where they are can produce the Pads, sell and earn a living

Some of the Pads sold income helped to sustain our Organisation rent, lunch and transport to mobilise Muslim Leaders, District Leaders and Victims.

Bellow See at our first Office, Government Councillor Donate a Sewing Machines to our Organisation in appreciation of empowering Muslim Teen Mothers to promote our Skills training on making Reusable Sanitary Pads for Income for Drugs, Food etc. Right photo training in Handmade Reusable Sanitary Pads goes on.

Activity D: -Engaging Influential Muslim Leaders, Local Leaders, Elders and others to discuss the problem and solve it

Outcomes: We were at least able to conduct 3 Community Meetings 2 in rural and 1 Urban.

-We discovered that the approach works and is very safe for us because Muslim Leaders, Local

Leaders and Men/Boys discuss the problem and solve it.

-Urban Community Meetings are expensive to conduct as people need transport and lunch.

See Muslim Elders themselves discussing against forced early child marriages. They call up on other Muslim Men/Boys to stop defilement. When they talk, everyone listens because they are respected.

Activity E: -Fundraisings from Muslim Leaders, Local Leaders, other Religious Leaders and Communities around us to support our Advocacy

We managed to conduct a number of fundraisings both community and individual well-wishers

Outcomes: We managed to collect some money to support our advocacy move, mobilise our fellow victims, mobilised Muslim Elders, Registered our Organisation etc -These Fundraisings increased good relationship with the Communities where still during fundraising, every leader condemns forced early marriages

Activity F: -Debates/Quizzes in Muslim schools including Drama about dangers of Defilement/forced early marriages for Children mostly boys to grow changed respecting Girls/Women rights

Outcomes: We managed to visit 4 Schools and at least more than 150 Children attended the Drama and Debates against forced early marriages.

-Children pledged from then to defend their sisters against forced early marriages and not to promote the bad act when they grow.

Challenges

Challenge 1: Lack of funds to help our fellow teen mothers we find badly suffering with AIDS/Pregnancies/Babies without even pain reliever tablets yet we are also poor.

Challenge 2:- Lack of a Vocational Skills Training Center which would serve as an Emergence Home where teen mothers at risk of Forced Early Marriages can escape to, get trained in Vocational Skills to generate income and afford Drugs/Food and even Resume School.

Solution:-Need for a Vocational Skills Training Center for suffering teen mothers to generate income and afford Drugs/Food and Resume School

This shall always serve as an Emergence Home where teen mothers at risk of Forced Early Marriages can escape to, then we seek justice

Challenge 3:- At first our Muslim Men and Leaders first opposed us fearing that we were going to fight our own Islam Religion.

Challenge 4:- Engaging community leaders, Government Leaders, Muslim Leaders and Girl Victims of forced early marriages to discuss the problem and reach a solution requires money we don’t have.

Solutions:

-Through engaging Muslim Leaders themselves to discuss dangers forced early marriages and what Quran says about it, themselves end up advising the communities not to defile again. So they end up appreciating our campaign.

-We conduct Community Fundraisings, Individual Well-wishers, Sale of our Sanitary Pads to push the campaign forward.

-Engagement of Muslim Leaders, Elders, Local Leaders and even Police to Peacefully discuss badness of Forced Early Marriages. When the coward girls see the Muslim Leaders themselves appreciating our speak out against forced early marriages and encouraging us to fight it calling their fellow Muslim Men not to intimidate us, the cowered girls also earn braveness and join us in the campaign.

Recommendations:

-We call up on well-wishers to help us Establish a Vocational Skills Training Center for suffering teen mothers to generate income and afford Drugs/Food and Resume School

This shall always serve as an Emergence Home where teen mothers at risk of Forced Early Marriages can escape to, then we seek justice

-We call upon Governments and International Human Rights Bodies to enforce the

Laws against Defilement and Sexual Harassment against us Girl Children

-Girls/women both Muslims and None Muslims to join us and we challenge Negative

Religious and Cultural Beliefs on which men/boys base and force Girls into premature

marriages before 18 years of age.

- We call up on Donors, Government and Well-wishers to empower us because this

advocacy involves engaging Community Influential People like Muslim Leaders, Local

Leaders, Police, Policy Makers what takes some money if we are to make real change