Area of Work

Uganda Media Women’s Association is a national organization working in all districts of Uganda working with:

Poor rural women
Women in low income areas, for example women living in slum areas
Women in leadership positions especially at district and local government levels.

And for strategic reasons, UMWA targets media women and those in information generation, management and dissemination because they are among the main channels through which UMWA seeks to reach its key beneficiaries. Other channels include policy makers at various levels.

Overall Program Objective for 2015 – 2018 is:

“To create awareness among women and the media about their rights; and for the advocacy of gender responsive, policies and legislation for improved livelihoods

This will be achieved through:

Providing information geared towards gender equality and development.
Lobbying and advocating for policies conducive to gender equality, freedom of expression and right to information, fair portrayal and representation in the media, and disability mainstreaming.
Strengthen women’s capacity to articulate issues pertaining to their development and make informed decisions.
Strengthen networking and promote information exchange for the furtherance of UMWA’s development agenda.
Strengthen UMWA’s institutional capacity for program implementation, staff, membership and other resources.
Strengthen UMWA’s independence and self sustainability.

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Uganda Media Women’s Association-UMWA, was founded in 1983 by a group of female journalists as a membership association, to fight for the rights of women in the media. In 1997 UMWA became a human rights advocacy and service delivery NGO. UMWA is legally registered within Uganda’s NGOs Board with number: S.5914/1535. At the national level, UMWA has been very instrumental in coalitions working for gender equality and human rights for example the Equal Opportunity Commission, the Domestic Relations Bill, and Domestic Violence Law (2010), Coalitions working for press freedom, right of access to information, and that on civic awareness on liberties. UMWA also worked in coalitions against the Homosexual Bill (2009), Advocacy on the Prevention of HIV/AIDS Bill (2010), and the Female Genital Mutilation Act (2010). At the international scene, UMWA is active in coalitions for intercultural awareness exchange and appreciation as well as media and human rights activism. UMWA’s primary target groups are women and groups of people experiencing disadvantaged situations. UMWA is a leading media NGO with structures, office space, and with proven experience in the design and conducting of awareness and advocacy campaigns. Examples include its lead role and outstanding performance during the civic education awareness media campaigns in the run up to Uganda’s three general elections of 1996, 2001 and 2006; and the Referendum 2000 to choose between a No-Party and a Multiparty system. UMWA was the lead agency for the media component, (supported by a coalition of donors). UMWA, was among over 25 media associations and several media houses in Uganda, recently selected by Uganda’s Ministry of Information to organize a National Media Conference. Uganda Media Women’s Association set up also 101.7 Mama FM, the first women’s station in Africa. The organization has eight (8) full-time employees and 30 part-time volunteers. The Board of Directors has eight members. UMWA’s highest organ is its general assembly comprising of all paid up members which elect the 7 person governing board every four years. The Executive Director is an Ex-officio. The Board is UMWA’s policy making and advisory body also instrumental, through a participatory process with other stakeholders, in determining the organisation’s strategic direction, done every three years.