CONTEXT
Uganda has the youngest population in the world; 77% of the population are under the age of 25, and more than half are children. After years of suffering from conflict and insecurity Uganda has begun to make considerable economic progress, and the Government has worked hard to ensure that poverty rates have decreased. However, despite these improvements huge inequalities still exist, and many children are still excluded from the chance to go to a safe and secure school to learn.
Compounding the problem, Uganda is home to 1.4 million refugees, forced to leave behind homes, livelihoods, and education and flee from conflict in South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Although Uganda has one of the most progressive refugee policies in the world, refugee families often find themselves settling in areas where the host populations themselves have little access to education or livelihoods.
In Uganda’s capital Kampala there are thousands of children - both refugees and from host communities - who aren't going to school because of poverty. Families are unable to afford the costs of education and many children end up supporting their families by working on the streets instead of going to school.
Whether in the camps, on the streets, or living in poverty, we believe that each and every child deserves a quality education.
WHAT WE ARE DOING
EDUCATING CHILDREN
We have been working in refugee settlements and rural Uganda to improve access to and quality of education for both children and young mothers. We have focused on improving access to schools and reducing overcrowding, through the construction of ‘first ever schools’ and the extension and construction of additional facilities for existing schools. Additionally, we have focused on improving the quality of teaching in these schools through the provision of teacher training and school management committee training.