THE SCHOOLS FOR SCHOOLS PROGRAM

The Schools for Schools (S4S) program emerged from Invisible Children Uganda’s overarching goal to help rebuild the standards of secondary education in northern Uganda. The projects under the umbrella of S4S encourage academic excellence not only within students, but also on a much larger scale within the schools. By delving to the root of local development issues and improving education holistically from the ground up, we are able to help foster long-term change in the quality of education in the region through a variety of implementation practices.

LEARN MORE ABOUT WHAT WE DO

Education in northern Uganda
Our Schools for Schools development philosophy
Where the money goes
Teacher Exchange Program
New Implementation Technologies and Initiatives

EDUCATION IN NORTHERN UGANDA

Northern Uganda’s standard of education has not always been so low. Prior to the war, at least five of Uganda’s top ten schools were located in the North. Today there is not one school from the entire region in the top 100.

After Uganda’s Millennium Goal of Universal Primary Education was introduced, many organizations began to focus their efforts solely on primary schools. The lack of attention given to secondary schools has made the pursuit of higher education even more difficult for students and teachers. Invisible Children recognized this gap and was determined to help reconstruct the former top government registered secondary schools across the districts of Gulu, Amuru and Pader in northern Uganda.

Schools for Schools is one of the largest-scale projects to date addressing the North’s need for improved learning environments and a greater investment in secondary education. By comprehensively rebuilding 11 of the most promising secondary schools in the region, we are looking beyond the temporary fix of simply putting kids in classrooms, but rather at providing sustainable access to quality post-primary education at a nationally competitive level.

OUR SCHOOLS FOR SCHOOLS DEVELOPMENT PHILOSOPHY

One of the most important decisions was the selection of which secondary schools we would partner with in northern Uganda. After developing extensive selection criteria, we initially chose 10 institutions we believed showed the greatest potential for creating lasting change through self-sustainable practices in the educational sector. In lieu of attempting to build several projects at a large number of institutions, we kept our partner schools to a minimum with the intention of providing the most comprehensive and individualized development at each school. Three of the ten schools we chose had been displaced for over 15 years by the conflict.  The S4S program is dedicated to helping these schools by ensuring that they return to their original sites, complete with brand new structures.

Invisible Children Uganda’s development philosophy revolves around long-term, sustainable ways for secondary schools to continue to raise the bar of education in the North. The project uses grassroots principles, engaging community involvement on all decisions concerning how funds are spent at each school. Through Invisible Children-supported School Development Committees, those benefiting directly from the implementation projects—students, teachers, parents, members of the administration and the Board of Governors, as well as local government officials—sit and discuss what they feel a school needs most to improve its learning environment.

These groups are responsible for developing the list of project priorities for each school within the five target areas of implementation: construction of facilities, water and sanitation, supply of books and teaching aids, teacher capacity development, and the introduction of new technologies. The committee’s ongoing involvement in each implementation round provides opportunities to understand the many educational needs and obstacles at each school. With their input, we are able to continually tailor our efforts to meet each school’s specific requests and ensure that the funds raised are spent in the most effective way possible.

WHERE THE MONEY GOES

To raise funds for program implementation, Invisible Children created the world’s first real-time, interactive humanitarian web site  (s4s.invisiblechildren.com) where money raised could be viewed as it accumulated. During each round of competitive fundraising, students worldwide are able to check the progress of their Ugandan partner school, as well as see proposed implementation projects, student bios, and video updates.

Ugandan Schools Supported and Funds Raised in 2008
(Represented in USD)
Pope Paul IV-Anaka: $127, 036
Atanga Secondary School: $137,363
Awere Secondary School: $282,197
GuluHigh School: $134, 446
Gulu Secondary School: $102,251
St. Mary’s College Lacor: $148, 483
St. Joseph’s College Layibi: $139,467
Pabbo Secondary School: $100,868
Sacred Heart Secondary School: $232,957
Sir Samuel Baker Secondary School: $147, 263
Keyo Secondary School (new partner school FY2009)

When S4S began its campaign in 2006, 582 schools worldwide joined the fundraising competition, and in only 100 days, these schools raised more than $1.6 million. The program is continually committed to using 90% of these funds for direct project implementation. In July 2007, Schools for Schools began its first round of construction projects and the supplemental purchasing of books and supplies.

With the money raised in the first round, S4S was able to refurbish and build seven new classroom blocks at five partner schools. The construction of a new laboratory began at Awere SS, while two massive lab refurbishments were undertaken at St. Joseph’s College Layibi and Gulu SS. Six sets of latrine blocks, as well as four plumbing projects, addressed the program’s commitment to improve sanitary conditions and meet WHO standards. One two-story girl’s dormitory—a unique design in the region—was constructed at Gulu High School. Four new boreholes were drilled and two were refurbished to provide increased access to clean water. New furniture was built for six of the schools, and a generator was also purchased to provide electricity at one of our schools.

In addition to all of the construction and sanitation efforts, much-needed equipment—textbooks, sports and arts materials, science apparatuses, teaching and learning materials—was supplied to partner schools.  In addition to the materials, IC Uganda held teacher capacity development workshops with the lead teachers of its partner schools.  A ceremony held in October 2008 at one of our largest partner schools, St. Joseph’s College Layibi, commemorated the completion of the first round of implementation with the ceremonial handing over of the projects and books to each school. Key supporters of the event included the U.S. Ambassador to Uganda and the Ugandan Minister of Education and Sports. 

Round 2 of fundraising for Schools for Schools launched in September 2007 and ended in January 2008. With even more students joining in the fundraising campaign, participants successfully collected more than $1.5 million to further improve the quality of education at the 10 partner schools. The team on the ground continued to work hand-in-hand with the School Development Committees to prepare for the spending of this money, carrying out needs and infrastructure assessments, drawing building plans, seeking technical advice, and constructing budgets.

This second round of project construction began in July 2008. Much like the first round, the implementation focused on civil and water works, as well as the construction of furniture and the provision of books and supplies. Five new classrooms were built and two were renovated across six of the ten sites. A new lab was built at Awere SS—one of the displaced schools scheduled to return to its original site. Two massive plumbing refurbishment projects were completed, providing clean water to two of our most densely populated schools. An outstanding number of 12 latrines were constructed, some of which pioneered the use of Eco San technology (described in-depth below). Motorized water systems were installed at two sites, and a borehole was refurbished at one. Solar lighting—an alternative approach to providing electricity—was tested at one of our partner schools, while generators were purchased for another two. Perimeter fencing at two of the sites continued in Round 2, thanks to the use of the ISSB brick-making machines purchased in Round 1. New furniture was also assembled for five of the partner schools, and contractors laid the foundation for two new dormitories.

Round 3 of fundraising for Schools for Schools commenced in September 2008. The fundraising competition was heightened with the inclusion of an eleventh school, Keyo SS. The round saw the greatest participation to date, with the inclusion of more than 2,000 schools worldwide taking part in the competition. Like those prior, participants were given the challenge of raising more than one million dollars in only 100 days.  Thousands upon thousands of students around the world rose to the challenge and raised a total of $1.3 million for all eleven Ugandan schools.

Another component of fundraising was added for the third round as well: a book drive. Invisible Children struck a partnership with Better World Books, an organization dedicated collected used books to donate to improve literacy worldwide. Over the course of the fundraising, students simultaneously gathered 1.6 million books to donate to Better World Books. In return, the organization has offered to give IC 10% of the profit gained from reselling those used books that are in fair enough condition. The remaining books collected will then be donated to stock the library shelves in our partner schools.

In part due to the construction work implemented by S4S, the student-to-classroom ratio at our partner schools has dropped from 183:1 to 94:1. Our target ratio is 60 to 1. Water coverage at 7 of the 11 schools has exceeded 100 percent, with the remaining schools expected to reach this level by the end of 2010.

The Teacher Exchange Program—an initiative under the educational capacity-building component of the S4S program—allows international educators to create teaching partnerships with their counterparts in northern Ugandan for six-weeks each summer. Begun in 2007 to enhance present educational models and to establish long-term learning opportunities for both international and Ugandan teachers, the program lets educators engage in team teaching, information sharing, and skill-building conferences. Teachers in Uganda often receive limited training and few opportunities for personal and professional development.  Just as the S4S Program works to address problems with space and supplies, Teacher Exchange provides a dynamic opportunity to boost the morale and build the teaching capacity of Ugandan teachers. Now in its third summer, the Teacher Exchange Program has contributed greatly to bringing Ugandan classrooms to a competitive national standard.

NEW IMPLEMENTATION TECHNOLOGIES AND INITIATIVES

Eco-San Latrines
Already commenced at two partner schools—Sacred Heart and Atanga SS—these pilot schemes intend to set the standard for future construction of any latrine at all S4S partner schools. As supported by the DEOs of Gulu and Amuru, the introduction of Eco-San (Ecological Sanitation) is an alternative to conventional sanitary systems based on an ecological approach to human waste as a recyclable, environmentally friendly resource, such as fertilizer. They offer a safe, sanitary solution that helps prevent the spread of disease by hygienically removing pathogen-rich excreta from the environment. The innovative above-ground technology does not contaminate groundwater or use precious water resources.

The construction cost of Eco-San latrines is less than traditional pit latrines, but they outlive and save schools money in emptying and construction costs in the long-run. With assistance from IC, schools will hold training sessions on the use and maintenance of the latrines, sensitizing them to the importance of the new technology.

Knowledge of Behavior and Self (KOBS)
Training and support of teacher and student capacity development is provided through workshops, regular stakeholders’ sessions, and monitoring and evaluation. Recent progress has been seen in this area of project implementation through the development of an emotional literacy campaign called KOBS (Knowledge of Behavior and Self). To be implemented in all partner schools by February 2010, KOBS addresses the emotional complications students incur from years of unrecognized issues as a result of post-traumatic stress disorder. Other strategies to improve the reading culture are also being explored by the Education department of S4S.


Round Four of Schools for Schools begins in September 2009 with an international tour. Go here to sign up.