In the East African country of Uganda, a staggering 276,000 young people cannot find jobs each year. Even though many of these youth are university or trade school educated, there is simply not enough infrastructure to accommodate them in the job market. And without jobs, many of these youth will relapse into the cyclical poverty endemic in much of their country.

Young women are particularly vulnerable to unemployment. Many find themselves caught in premature marriages, struggling to support their children with little hope of saving for the future of their families.

But in the heart of Jinja, Uganda’s second largest city, five young women work diligently to create beautiful handmade bags and other accessories for Tukula (meaning “we grow” in Luganda), a for-profit social enterprise based out of Lancaster, Pa. The women, who range in age from 16 to 33, have different life stories.

All of them have completed some amount of tailoring school, and two are continuing their education using the money they earn at Tukula. The women hail from different tribes and ascribe to different religions. But what brings them together is their desire to better the future of themselves and their families.

One of these women, Ayakaka Sally, talks about the impact that Tukula has had on her life. “I used to depend on people,” she says. “But Tukula has made me to be on my own. Now I can afford my food. I can pay my rent. It’s good for me.”

Tukula works with its artisans to create budgets and savings programs aimed at preparing each woman to attain her future goals. By creating and selling beautiful, high-quality products, the company hopes to impact more women in the future.

Tukula is working to eliminate abject poverty in Uganda before it begins, one woman at a time. To learn more visit tukula.org.

At ONE, you will often hear the jargon “siloed,” “cross-cutting” and “lens” when referring to our issues affecting global poverty. In reality, all the issues are cross-cutting and work hand-in-hand toward worldwide development. One lens that is important to ONE and gaining the attention of the international community is gender and its role in development objectives. So, let’s put on our gender glasses and take a look at what is happening around this topic.

A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to attend the World Bank’s Open Forum on Gender: “Getting to EQUAL.” The live webcast was hosted by CNN International’s Hala Gorani with a renowned panel of experts including World Bank President Robert Zoellick, Nike Foundation Founder and CEO Maria Eitel and many others. In conjunction, the World Bank just published the 2012 Gender Equality and Development report with the main premise that positioning women in development efforts is simply smart economics. Increases in gender equality will create gains in productivity and therefore, improvements in development outcomes.

The panel lists discussed numerous ways to bridge the gender gap from creating female role models for girls, engaging communities in conceptual gender equality, and to connecting girls to sports and leadership opportunities. It was evident that not one method could be used for solving the same problem in diverse communities, but a means that can be unanimous in all arenas.

Educating every girl can help break the cycle of poverty. Research shows that providing girls with just an extra year of schooling can increase individual wages by up to 20 percent, and consequentially lower birth rates, enabling the next generation to have increased health care and better education for their children.

The Millennium Development education goal is to ensure that by 2015, children everywhere, boys and girls alike, will be able to complete a full course of primary schooling. Institutions and organizations like the United Nations Girls Education Initiative, the Global Partnership for Education, the Girl Effect and many others are helping to swing the focus towards girls’ education through monetary investment and awareness building, but there is still much to be accomplished to ensure the education and equality of women.

Project Rhino from Still Life Projects on Vimeo.

Our work resulted in the inspiring, true story of Arjun. He is the first member of his family to attend school. Did I mention if I were 10 again, I would be in love? This sweet boy with a beaming smile completely stole my heart, and his story truly illustrates the desire for education in India.

In India, more than 5.5 million school-age children are denied the chance to go to school. But world leaders are working together to ensure that by 2015, boys and girls worldwide will be able to complete a full course of primary schooling. I dare you to watch this video and join us to fight for the dignity and equality of the most vulnerable children of Calcutta, India and their future.

Looking to perk up your Tuesday night? Look no further –- we’re having a Twitter party, and you’re invited. ONE is teaming up with Mom It Forward, a worldwide network dedicated to enhancing the lives of women, their families and the communities in which they live, on Tuesday, March 8 to discuss women’s empowerment in the developing world. Perfect timing, since that just so happens to be International Women’s Day.

So how does this Twitter party work? Every 10 minutes, Mom It Forward will tweet a question on empowering women, and ONE will tweet back the answer. You’re free to discuss via Twitter…until the next question comes along! There are some serious chances to win ONE swag, so keep your eyes peeled!

Anyone with a Twitter account is welcome to join (so guys, that means you, too!). And we would love if our members and blog readers could be there to represent ONE and help boost awareness around our Senate budget petition.

Here are the details:

What: Girls’ Night Out Twitter party. Use the Twitter hashtag (#gno) to show that you’re participating!
When: Tuesday, March 8 from 9 to 11 p.m. EST (8CT, 7 MT and 6 PT)
Where: From your computer or mobile phone
Who: Brand Panelist: @ONECampaign; Moderators: @jylmomIF @Dadventurous @troypattee and @MomItForward
RSVP: Click this link and enter your Twitter URL and Twitter ID

There’s so much potential in Africa’s females, and with 430 million women and girls currently driving Africa’s economy, we’re getting there. When women are given the proper tools, they can help lift communities out of poverty and transform millions of lives.

Over the next 100 days, Connect to Learn is hoping to raise enough support to put 100 girls through school next year in their inaugural campaigns in Tanzania and Ghana.

The first step for the organization is to reach out to a network of public, private and non-profit partners to raise the funds necessary to provide scholarships for secondary education. The cost of putting one girl through school for three years is less than $2,000, but there are more than 600 million adolescent girls around the world.

Historically, females face extraordinary challenges to staying in school past very basic levels, especially when compared to their male counterparts. Education seems to be one of the most effective strategies for combating gender inequities, early marriages, unwanted pregnancies and a general lack of opportunities for girls at the higher echelons of society.

Much more needs to be done to unleash the potential of Africa’s 430 million women and girls — and this campaign helps do exactly that. Take a look at our “Africa’s Future is Female” report to learn more about this issue.

With less than two weeks until world leaders converge in New York City for the U.N. Summit on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), we are anxious to see how countries are planning to achieve them.

Melanne Verveer, ambassador-at-large for Global Women’s Issues at the State Department, spoke yesterday at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, D.C., on the importance of women and children in achieving the MDGs.

Ambassador Verveer promised that investments in women and girls are at the center of the Obama administration’s strategy.

She noted that MDG 3, which promotes gender equality and women empowerment, is the lynch pin to achieving the other MDGs. Not only is gender equality an issue of fairness, it is also smart business — increased participation of women in politics decreases corruption.

Ambassador Verveer noted that only a fifth of positions in national governments are held by women, and said, “Democracy without the participation of women is a contradiction in terms.”

The gender gap in some areas of the world is staggering, and Ambassador Verveer believes that investing in women is the world’s greatest untapped resource.

She noted that women do 60 percent of the world’s work, but earn only 5 percent of the income. The Obama administration’s Global Health and Feed the Future initiatives will attempt to integrate essential programs to empower women and more effectively help them succeed worldwide.

While it was clear that Ambassador Verveer understood the importance of women and girls and that the administration agrees they are a key feature of the MDG plan, it’s unclear how they plan to put that belief into action in U.S. development policy and provide a sustainable path forward.

ONE is looking forward to hearing more details on how the MDG strategy will be implemented and how it will fit into ongoing efforts to reform U.S. development policy –- including the administration’s Presidential Study Directive and Congress’s rewrite of the Foreign Assistance Act.

Election raises concerns about suppression of rights – Rwandan president, Paul Kagame, is set to win another term Tuesday in an election marred by killings, a lack of credible political opponents and censorship. Critics are calling the leader the continent’s latest strongman, suppressing human rights to deepen his grip on power. (Sudarsan Raghavan, Washington Post)

American leadership crucial at MDG Summit – President of Bread for the World, Rev. David Beckmann, argues that by showing leadership on foreign assistance reform at the upcoming Millennium Development Goals Summit, President Obama will “attach actions to his words on development“ and hopefully lead others to empower the world’s poorest people to realize a brighter future. (Huffington Post)

U.S. plan fails to end Africa’s trade isolation – Ten years after the U.S. adopted the African Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa) – a program that boldly proclaimed it would help end Africa’s isolation from world trade – American officials are being candid about its failures, emphasizing its modest results despite “the highest of hopes.” (Alan Beattie, Financial Times)

Sierra Leone taking initiative for maternal health – Health advocate, Mary Robinson, highlights the major steps Sierra Leone has taken in promoting maternal health and gender equality, both for its people and globally as a model of leadership and initiative in this critical area. She calls for other nations to look to Sierra Leone as an example as we move toward review of the Millennium Development Goals.

Rotavirus vaccines save poorest children, say reports – Trials in Asia and Africa show rotavirus vaccines can prevent between 39 to 48 percent of infections among children in some of the poorest countries in the world, with new reports urging governments of developing nations to make the vaccines a priority. (Maggie Fox, Reuters)

In the video, Nassuna discusses her work with small, local farmers in Uganda. This has changed not only their lives, but the lives of families and communities as a whole. But she also talks about the challenges. “Nobody wants to invest in farmers,” she notes. “They are a very high-risk group.”

El notes, “Nassuna’s voice may be quiet, but her experience and stories speak volumes about how African poverty can end, and how we all can affect change!” Check out El’s interview and share your thoughts in the comment box below.

This is our very first post from ONE’s government relations intern, Zach Kelly. Make sure to give him props in the comments section!

Last week, ONE had the exciting opportunity to partner with the U.S. Department of State to host a luncheon discussion with the African Women’s Entrepreneurship Program.

At the lunch, women from 35 African countries shared their experiences about working in the African business world. Our keynote speaker, Dr. Pearl Alice Marsh of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, provided a congressional perspective of women’s challenges and opportunities and the role they play in commerce and job creation on the continent.

She emphasized that both the public and private sector must make special efforts to remove obstacles that impede the success and growth of African businesswomen because they are proven and effective agents of development in their society.

During our discussion, we learned that African women have difficulties in gaining access to capital and other financial resources when starting and operating a business because of their gender. A participant from Ethiopia said she is working a solution to the problem: partner with other Ethiopian businesswomen to start the first-ever commercial bank owned by a majority of women. This would make it easier for women to access financial capital.

A participant from Nigeria shared her advocacy victory. By teaming up with local cassava farmers in securing assistance and support from the Nigerian government and the USAID, she saved a faltering cassava-processing factory in rural Nigeria. The factory is now fully functioning and ready to supply the beverage industry with glucose-syrup, creating jobs and real economic growth for the area.

These were only some of the amazing stories shared at the event, but each one highlighted the fact that these women are pioneers and leaders in their countries. They are passionate and committed to advancing the role and prosperity of future generations of women in African society, and with the help of global partners and investors, will certainly achieve these goals.

- Zach Kelly, government relations intern, ONE

Clinton rues Africa corruption, trade barriers –Trade barriers, poor infrastructure and corruption are holding back efforts to boost and diversify Africa’s trade, said Secretary Clinton. She stressed the administration’s efforts to “boost trade and aid effectiveness” through their trade and development strategy. (Reuters)

Obama convenes forum of young African leaders – Declaring that “Africa’s future belongs to its young people,” President Obama met with more than 100 young African entrepreneurs from across the continent Tuesday. On the topic of HIV/AIDS, he stressed the need for successful prevention programs to bolster traditional donor funding. (Stephen Kendrick, ABC)

Kenya Stakes Reinvention on Constitution Vote – Kenyans are voting today on a new constitution that hems in Kenya’s imperial-style presidency, devolves more power to local government and creates a bill of rights. Donor nations, including the U.S., are eager to see it pass, having invested in voter drives and civic education campaigns. (Jeffrey Gettleman, The New York Times)

Education key to empowering women – The State Department’s Robert Hormats highlights last week’s African Women’s Entrepreneurship Program, which brought together 34 African women business leaders to connect with peers and U.S. policymakers. He stresses investing in education as critical to empowering more female leaders in the future. (Huffington Post)

Experts roll out malaria map, urge mosquito study – Nearly 3 billion people – two-fifths of the world’s population – were at risk of contracting malaria in 2009 and closer study of the mosquito’s life cycle, including what occurs beyond the blood feeding processes, is needed to combat the disease, maintained researchers in two reports release Tuesday. (Tan Ee Lyn, Reuters)

New literary series views Africa through African eyes – Fourteen African writers have set out to document Africa’s diversity in a series of books and blogs partly inspired by the World Cup, with hopes of highlighting a continent often framed as a monolithic block blighted by conflict, hunger and corruption. (Yinka Ibukun, Washington Post)