2021 Supporter Survey Results

In September this year we ran our first ever Supporter Survey to better understand YOU, our incredibly caring community of supporters.

Your insights and feedback allows us to better engage and communicate with you and ensure you feel respected and listened to by all of us here at School for Life.

Thank you to the 208 supporters who completed the survey, either online or via the post, and the 82 of you who left heartfelt messages of love and support to our students and community. It’s been a challenging time globally and your messages brought joy and smiles to our community. Watch the video to hear some of your messages read out.

Insights from the Survey

Demographic

The majority of respondents, roughly 40%, were either between the ages of 25 - 34 and 55 - 64.

School for Life has a relatively even split of donors across age bands.

74% of you would recommend School for Life as worthy of support

When asked “If a friend was looking to make a donation to a charity and asked for your advice, how likely would you be to recommend School for Life as worthy of support on a scale of 1 - 10? You answered:

What motivates you?

When it comes to what motivates you, most of you agreed that children have the right to an education, no matter where they live! We couldn’t agree more.

54% of you believe its important to support Girls’ Education

School for Life is focused on providing quality education to vulnerable students, but we also do so much more to ensure the safety and health of every single one of our students and their families. In addition to education your top 5 areas of interest are Girls Education, Food and Nutrition, Access to clean water, Skills training and Access to healthcare.

Choose your statement

When asked to choose one of two statements there were some clear preferences

The top 5 ways you want to get involved

There are many ways to get involved with School for Life’s work, of all the options, these were your top 5:

Who do you want to hear from?

Your feedback allows us to understand what is important to you, communicate more effectively and guides us in finding new caring supporters, like you, to further our mission. 

Incase you did not complete your survey in time we’d still love to hear from you. You can reach us at hello@schoolforlife.org.au or by calling the office on (02) 8377 8417.

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.