Need

Conflict devastated the education sector in Northern Uganda: schools were vandalised and many teachers, especially females, fled. A lack of female teachers, combined with overcrowded classrooms, poor sanitation facilities and the risk of abuse at or on the way to school, mean that fewer girls go to school than boys – and many of those that do enrol drop out. In Lira district, only 31% of girls complete primary education. However, the benefits of girls' education are widely acknowledged.

Solution

School Mothers, selected from local communities, will work to improve girls’ education outcomes, through:(1) visiting girls in school on a weekly basis, building trusting relationships, and giving guidance and training e. G. On gender, health and making sanitary towels;(2) visiting guardians of out-of-school girls to promote the value of education; and (3) working with communities to change attitudes towards girls’ education. They will provide a strong link between girls, communities and schools.

Aims

To increase the enrolment and retention of girls in primary schools in Northern Uganda

Activities

» Building on the traditional Ugandan concept of the auntie as advice giver, local women will support girls in schools as their ‘School Mothers’.

Success will be a 15% increase in the number of girls completing primary school, narrowing the gender gap in primary school completion rates.

Impact

The project will contribute to increasing the enrolment of girls in primary and secondary schools. Research shows that educated girls have better opportunities to earn higher wages and to participate in community life; they tend to marry later and to have fewer, healthier children who are more likely to go to school themselves. More educated girls will be able to contribute to the development of Ugandan society. Project success will be demonstrated through regular monitoring and an evaluation.

Risk

Lack of community or school support for School Mothers’ activities. AET mitigates this risk by working closely with communities, building up relationships and communicating openly about our activities.

Reporting

Quarterly or six-monthly reports will be sent to donors, depending on preference, including updates on activities, project progress and expenditure.

Budget - Project Cost: £17,000

Location

Uganda is one of the world's poorest countries and Northern Uganda is particularly deprived. More than 20 years of conflict devastated the region, and led to a humanitarian emergency as nearly 2 million people fled their homes to live in camps. It has only been during the last 2-3 years that people have returned to their homes to rebuild their lives. Conflict and insecurity disrupted all aspects of everyday life and basic services: 80% of children in the region have never been to school.

Beneficiaries

- Up to 7000 girls at primary schools will benefit from the support, guidance and training of a School Mother, leading to improved attendance, confidence and performance at school. - 30 School Mothers will receive relevant training (for example on gender, human rights, and the value of girls’ education), and will gain enhanced status in their communities as a result of their roles. - Up to 300 out-of-school girls and their families will learn about the advantages of education.

Why Us?

Founded in 1958 on the principle that ‘education is the key to development’, AET has built up a strong reputation and has achieved recognition from numerous sources (inc. The World Bank) for the quality of its programmes. AET develops innovative solutions to complex problems, and the School Mother project exemplifies this creative, outside-the-box thinking. As a small charity with minimal administration costs, donors can be sure that their funding will make a real difference to people's lives.

Read more about the Charity running this project.

People

Dr. Michael Brophy, OBE

AET's Director has a wealth of experience managing education projects in Africa and will maintain overall responsibility for the project.

Samuel Obina - AET Uganda

Samuel has 10 years’ experience of development work in Uganda and will be responsible for project implementation.

Daniel Wokuti - AET Uganda

Daniel is experienced in project management, monitoring and logistics and will support project implementation.