Winnie Nakatudde
Winnie Nakatudde is an advocate for girl-child empowerment and community development. She earned a bachelor of arts in Education (BAED) degree from Makerere University (@MakerereU), where her passion for African studies - especially issues affecting young girls- took root. This inspired her to establish the Atudde Foundation in 2021, a community-based organisation that later gained status as a registered NGO dedicated to uplifting girls through education and skills training. In 2021, Winnie received a scholarship to study at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel (@bengurionu), where she completed her Master of Arts in African Sustainable Communities in the African Studies programme in 2024. She brings nearly four years of experience as a secondary school teacher and has collaborated with various NGOs dedicated to empowering girls through education. Notably, she has served as a Project Assistant with the Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE) Uganda Chapter (@FAWEUganda) and as a Project Consultant with Marianne Foundation. In these roles, she co-implemented impactful projects, such as REAL Fathers - a programme mentoring young fathers to promote positive parenting and reduce domestic violence—and the Second Chance Education Project, which supported girls who left school due to early marriage and pregnancy during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2023, Winnie secured three prestigious seed grants - the Global Changemakers, Africa Matters Initiative, and Rotary Community grants. These funds enabled her to train girls in 10 rural primary schools in Ibanda District, Uganda. She trained the girls in reusable sanitary pad making skills and menstrual hygiene education, providing practical solutions to help keep girls in school. Winnie’s research interests span ethnographic, anthropological, and sociological studies, with a focus on child refugees, girls' rights, and policy development. Through her work and studies, Winnie consistently champions the empowerment of girls and women across Africa, making significant strides in education and community engagement.
In May 2024, Winnie was awarded a scholarship as a PhD candidate in the GROW Programme at Leiden University’s African Studies Centre Leiden. Her research focuses on transitional educational barriers faced by refugee girls in Uganda. This study builds on her previous work with Manya Kegan (PhD), which examined the difficulties experienced by urban Somali refugee girls in Kampala, Uganda. Through an intersectional lens, her current research aims to explore and compare diverse intersecting identities, such as gender, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status affecting educational access and integration among refugee groups in rural and urban contexts.
Recent Publication:
Kagan, M., & Nakatudde, W. (2024). Intersectional Barriers Faced by Urban Somali Refugee Girls in Uganda. Girlhood Studies, 17(1), 88–104. https://doi.org/10.3167/ghs.2024.170108.
Thesis (M.A.):
Nakatudde, W. (2023). NGOS’ efforts to curb girl-child secondary school dropouts in Kampala : the case of FAWE - Uganda chapter. [Ben-Gurion University of the Negev]. https://primo.bgu.ac.il/discovery/delivery/972BGU_INST:972BGU/12292699920004361