Launch of the Duke of Edinburgh Award

We are excited to announce as of March 2021, the teachers at School for Life will be delivering the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award to our secondary school students at Mbazzi High School. Our talented staff in Uganda recently had a meeting with the coordinator of the Duke of Edinburgh (DoE) Award to discuss the implementation of the program.

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In case you’ve never heard of the DoE Award, it is a program that was established back in 1956 by the Duke of Edinburgh, the late Prince Philip, initially for boys aged between 14-18 to inspire service to the community, a sense of adventure and develop skills outside of the classroom. There was such a high demand for the program to be offered to girls, that a year later the DoE expanded to include girls of the same age.

Over the years the Award evolved to also include job-ready training, largely in response to the high youth unemployment rates in the 1970’s.

Now a global program for both girls and boys aged 14-24 that spans across 144 countries, the DoE Award requires participants to complete four individually tailored sections consisting of different activities, they are:

  • Service - students take part in a volunteering activity.

  • Skill - students develop a skill of their choice.

  • Recreation - students take part in a physical activity of their choice.

  • Adventurous Journey - students plan, prepare and complete an expedition.

The award has three levels; bronze, silver and gold. As participants go up a level they are required to spend more time on each activity and complete a longer adventurous journey.

More than 1 million young people are currently participating in the award worldwide per year and since 1995, over 50,000 students in Uganda have participated in the programme.

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It goes without saying the program will have an immense benefit to all the students who participate, underpinning our holistic education model preparing students for the workforce.

“It presents to Young People a balanced, non-competitive programme of voluntary activities which encourages personal discovery and growth, self-reliance, perseverance, responsibility to themselves and service to their community.” The Duke of Edinburgh International Award Training Manual

The students will not only develop skills such as time-management, teamwork, communication and problem solving, but it will also help the students’ emotional development as it provides an opportunity to make new friends, learn independence, gain confidence and find themselves by encouraging the development of new hobbies and interests.

Surrounding communities will also feel the positive impacts of the program with an increase in volunteering leading to greater community based activities and a reduction in crime rates.

We can’t wait to introduce you to the students participating in the program and keep you updated on their activities and progress. Stay tuned!

Mbazzi Secondary School receives licence certificate for the Duke of Edinburgh Award.

Mbazzi Secondary School receives licence certificate for the Duke of Edinburgh Award.

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.