Uganda's Education Crisis

Let's pause for a minute and imagine what Australia or the United States would look like if only THREE IN TEN children finished primary school. 

This is the situation in Uganda. 

The girl in the blue dress in the image above is Gladys. Gladys lives with her family in this mud hut. She is the fourth child in a family of six children. Her mother works in the fields in order to feed her family the food they need. But Gladys is one of the lucky ones. She is a sponsored student at School for Life in the Mbazzi region of Uganda which means she will receive a high quality education across primary and secondary school. Her brothers, Emmanuel and Dennis are at School for Life's Katuuso campus. 

Gladys, Emmanuel and Dennis receive three meals a day, clothing, school uniforms, healthcare and their parents have the resources available to them to become a qualified tailors, and to learn more about agricultural practices. Gladys' father Joseph is employed as the cook at School for Life. Glady's parents will also be part of a community awareness project, teaching parents and grandparents about the importance of education, and receive education about domestic and sexual violence so they have the power to protect their children and change the course of their future. 

There are 19 million other children in Uganda just like Gladys and they need your help.  If you have ever wanted to sponsor a child, today is the day you can give the greatest gift these kids will ever receive - education.

Because Education is freedom. 

Some facts about Uganda's education crisis*:

  • In Uganda, seven out of ten children won't finish a primary-level education. Most adults haven't received an education, and therefore don't see educating their children as important - many prioritise child labour over education. 
  • Uganda has one of the lowest primary 'survival rates' in East Africa - with just 33% of children starting primary school finishing. This compares to Kenya's primary survival rate of 84%, Tanzania of 78% and Rwanda of 81%. 
  • In Government-run schools, there can be one teacher to look after 100 children, although the average classroom is one teacher to 54 students. Schools are often mud huts with no amenities, air conditioning or educational materials. 
  • More than 2.3 million Ugandans are malnourished, with many children arriving at school without being fed. It is common for children to receive only one meal a day. 
  • In Uganda your life expectancy is 56, yet in Australia it is 82 and in the United States it's 78.
  • Uganda has the world's youngest population. There are currently 38 million people living in Uganda, 50% of which are aged under 14 years old. That means that there are 19 million children running around in Uganda. 
  • Uganda is roughly the same size as the Australian state of Victoria, which houses 6 million people. Can you imagine 38 million people living in Victoria? 

*Information is sourced from UNICEF - Out of School Study of Children in Uganda, Education Policy and Data Centre, Inter-Regional Inequality Facility, UNESCO Institute for Statistics. 

The good news is you can help fight Uganda's education crisis, by sponsoring a child at School for Life today. We have 160 new students enrolled in 2017, and they each desperately need a sponsor. Here's how you can buy a child's freedom, by giving them an education. 

 

“Seven out of 10 children won’t finish primary school in Uganda ”
— Annabelle Chauncy

Help fight Uganda's education crisis by providing a child with a high quality education. 

Success Stories
Goretti

Sweet and shy Goretti lives with her aunt, uncle and cousins in a small house in the local village. When Goretti was younger, she moved in with her aunt and uncle because her parents could no longer look after her. She was one of our first students at Katuuso Primary, starting in 2011 when she was just 4 years old. Now, Goretti is in Senior One at Mbazzi High School, and is relishing the honour of being a high school student in her community - something that is taken for granted in Australia, but in Uganda, represents freedom and opportunity. Goretti also loves attending School for Life because she hopes to one day become a pilot in Uganda - a dream which she knows can only be reached with the help of a good education.

Violah

Violah has been at School for Life since since she was six years old. Sadly, Violah has experienced hardship no child should ever deal with. Her Dad passed away three years ago, leaving her Mum without the financial means to support her family - so she left Violah and her siblings with their elderly grandmother. Every day, Violah has to wake up at 5am to fetch water, cook meals and make sure that her younger sisters are properly looked after. Then she walks half an hour to get to school. Despite this adversity, Violah has flourished at school and has made many friends. She loves that School for Life is "helping me to build a future". After finishing school, Violah hopes to become a teacher to help other children.

Umar

Umar is one of our best performing students at Mbazzi Riverside High School - but life has not always been easy for Umar. His father abandoned the family in 2015, leaving his mother to struggle to support her five children on her own. School for Life has provided Umar with opportunities that may never else have eventuated for him. Umar begun his journey with School for Life at Katuuso Primary School, where his academic ability was quickly revealed. Now, he is a thriving member of our Senior 1 class and a formidable wing on the football team. With a love for mathematics, Umar is set on studying electronic engineering after finishing his senior studies - a goal which he is the first to admit is now within reach thanks to the skills and resources provided to him by School for Life.

Rose Nambooze

Rose is a 32‐year‐old single mother of one. She started working with SFL in 2013, after taking part in our tailoring training program. Prior to working with us, she was unemployed and living in her father's home helping to care for her father, who had cataracts, and his farm.
Thanks to her full time employment, Rose was able to save enough money to pay for an eye operation and restore her father's sight, allowing him to return to work as a mechanic. Now, Rose has moved into her own home and no longer relies on her father financially. 

Joseph

Joseph is one of our Special Needs teachers at Katuuso. After surviving a severe case of malaria at age four, he was left permanently deaf. He was raised by his single mother and attended a nursery school for the handicapped and later transferred to a school for the Deaf in Kampala. He eventually mastered sign language and pursued a university degree in education. Joseph decided to become a teacher so that he could give the gift of education to others who are hearing impaired.

Teddy Namatovu

Teddy is a participant in the Kumi Tailoring Program and four of her five children attend Katuuso Primary School. She and her husband farm two acres of land, which supplies fluctuating revenue. Participation in the Kumi Tailoring Project has secured income to reliably pay for school fees, nutritious meals and renovations to the family home. Teddy has gained a great deal of self-esteem from her ability to support her family and she takes pride in independently financing the education of all five children. Teddy has also been working on her numeracy and administration skills. She was appointed Treasurer of the tailoring group and will be responsible for keeping records of their savings.

Flaviah Nassaazi

Flaviah Nassaazi started working at Katuuso Primary and Vocational School in 2011. Prior to cooking at the school, she and her husband were subsistence farmers. They worked tirelessly for small yields and minimal income to support their family. Flaviah's cooking job not only enables her to pay school fees for her children, but she has also invested in a local barbershop business. She is now passing her cooking skills onto her eldest son Frank, who has also joined the school's cooking staff. Flaviah and her husband attend the adult literacy classes offered weekly at the school. Her English and reading have improved immensely, as well as her confidence.

Rachel

In 2010, Rachel began as a cleaner at Katuuso Primary and Vocational School. She was working to save money to study to be a teacher at University. Thanks to Barrie and Simone Goldsmith, her dream of studying came true and she is now fully qualified.