Pauline Juliet's Women's Empowerment Association (PJWEA) 

Pauline Juliet’s Women’s Empowerment Association or PJWEA (pronounced PJ-Way) is a collective of 998 women and 1,908 girls in the Kiboga area and surrounding districts. Many of the women who make up PJWEA are single mothers, and the organization also functions as a way for mothers to bond together and seek support. PJWEA has 15 democratically elected leaders and all PJWEA projects are discussed and carried out by the group. PJWEA believes in impacting communities through an investment in the women of those communities. As such, PJWEA projects help the entire community thrive, because the women of PJWEA are the heart of their communities and families. These women have taken resources and not only helped themselves but their children, their families, and other mothers in the community, a testament to the age old adage “when you educate a girl, you educate a nation” or “when you empower a woman, you empower a nation.”

PJWEA has held regular meetings with speakers, skill training, educational workshops, and entertainment. Additionally, they have created multiple projects such as a savings program, a jewelry project, a tent/chair rental business, and PJ Girl Guide Week. Many of their initiatives have also worked to raise funds for other existing PJ ventures, such as our scholastic materials project. Because, helping the children of the area ultimately helps their mothers as well. While these projects have been very significant, PJWEA is much more than just its projects and events. PJWEA is an entire community, one which values women and girls and their contributions to society, one which creates an extended family for young mothers, single mothers, and widows, and one which is creating a future for the daughters of PJWEA.