WE BELIEVE Every CHILD DESERVES ACCESS TO QUALITY EDUCATION. knowledge is indestructible and education is transformative.

Our goal is to make sure that as many children as possible in developing countries have access to a high quality education. We aim to produce modern workforce ready, critical and creative thinkers who will become the next leaders of their country.

Why Uganda?

  • Only 27% of school-age children in Mpigi district are enrolled in primary school

  • The student teacher ratio is a high 52:1 in rural areas

  • Drop out rate is 60-80% especially amongst girls

  • Teacher absenteeism is high because of low or non-existent government wages

  • Textbooks and teaching material is rare and inadequate

  • Families struggle to pay for tuition, uniforms and books

  • Children often stay at home and help with chores

  • Poor academic performance because of a lack of support at home

  • Most adults are subsistence farmers with little education

What School For Life Does

  • We help as many children in the community as possible go to school. Many are orphans or come from vulnerable backgrounds and would never have had the chance to attend school without our support.

  • We monitor the attendance and retention level of each student to ensure that they attain good academic performance.

  • We maintain a student teacher ratio of max 25:1 and only employ motivated and qualified teachers.

  • We continually grow the capacity of our teaching staff, engaging them in trainings that build their skills and help them to be the best versions of themselves.

  • We blend computer literacy into learning from primary school to ensure our students are technologically literate.

  • We encourage strong parental participation with school reports, parent-teacher days and community days.

  • We provide an environment that is safe, happy and conducive to learning.

How We Do It

  • We’ve built 3 modern schools - 2 Primary Schools that filter graduates into 1 larger Secondary School.

  • We’ve installed solar electricity systems.

  • We’ve built onsite accommodation to attract and retain the best teachers.

  • We facilitate training and personal development opportunities for our teachers.

  • We train our teachers to provide a tailored program for children with disabilities.

  • We fill classrooms with a wealth of amazing resources, like computers, books, colouring pencils, paints and fun active learning aids.

What’s Next?

We will continue to increase our enrolments and the impact of our work annually to improve the lives of more vulnerable students globally.

How Can You Help?

You can fund a Scholarship, or donate today, to help us achieve our mission of Educating Poverty Out of Existence!

If School for Life didn’t exist, instead of starting their first day at school, our students would be heading to work – most likely working in the fields, herding animals or digging for food. It is only because of our generous supporters that together, we can change the futures of hundreds of children living in poverty.

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.