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THE SCHOOLS FOR SCHOOLS PROGRAM

Schools for Schools emerged out of our overarching goal to help children in northern Uganda receive a quality education. Over the past few years, we've done extensive research into the region's education system and seen the need to encourage academic excellence and leadership not only in students, but also on a much larger scale within the schools. Even the children who are able to actually go to school still face unfair limitations because of the poor condition of their classrooms.

Through the Schools for Schools program we are working to change that. By going to the root of the problem and improving education from the ground up, we are able to make a long-term change in the quality of education in the North.

LEARN MORE ABOUT WHAT WE DO

Education in northern Uganda
Our Schools for Schools development philosophy
Where the money goes

EDUCATION IN NORTHERN UGANDA

Northern Uganda's standard of education hasn't always been so low. Prior to the war, at least five of Uganda's top 10 schools came from the North. Today there isn't one school from the North in the top 100.

Over the last two years, we’ve been researching to find the gaps in education. After Uganda's Millennium Goal of Universal Primary Education was introduced, many organizations began to focus their efforts on primary schools. The lack of attention given to post-primary schools has made the pursuit of higher education difficult for students and teachers.

Schools for Schools is the largest-scale project to date addressing the region’s need for improved learning environments and a larger investment in higher education. By holistically rebuilding 10 of the most promising secondary schools in the region, we are looking beyond the temporary fix of simply putting kids in classrooms, but instead putting them in classrooms that will better prepare them for their future and the future of their country.

OUR SCHOOLS FOR SCHOOLS DEVELOPMENT PHILOSOPHY

The development portion of Schools for Schools is an authentic approach to international aid. When we started discussing where and how to invest our resources, we knew we wanted to be extremely intentional about our actions, choosing programs that would do more than just temporarily address the gaps. Our goal was to work from the ground up, creating projects that would encourage community involvement and offer long-term change in the region's education.

In order to meet this goal, we brought together a group of individuals with the skill sets and personal commitments needed to see such a complex project through. By having a specific group monitor the project from beginning to end, we knew we would be able to ensure that the funds were implemented in the places that were needed most in the most effective way possible.

One of the most important decisions this team made was selecting which secondary schools we would partner with in the North. After developing extensive selection criteria, we chose 10 institutions we believed had the best hope for creating lasting change in the educational sector. Three of the ten we chose are schools that were displaced by the conflict and are now looking to return to their original sites after more than ten years.

As we wanted local ideas and community participation to lead efforts toward effective change, we created development committees for each of the 10 schools. These committees include students, teachers, parents, members of the administration, Board of Governors, and local government. In the beginning, these groups established the list of project priorities for each school within five target areas: water and sanitation, books and supplies, teacher incentives, construction of facilities, and technology. The committee’s ongoing involvement 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 needs.

WHERE THE MONEY GOES

In the first semester, 582 international schools joined the competition and in only 100 days raised more than $1.6 million. Over 90% of those funds are currently being used on the ground in northern Uganda.

In July 2007, Schools for Schools began the first implementation of these projects. This first phase focused on refurbishment projects as well as the construction of new classrooms and science laboratories at Lacor Secondary School, Gulu High School, Layibi Secondary School, and Atanga Secondary School. Construction at these sites began in July 2007 and continued until February 2008. In February, the second phase of implementation began, focusing on the remaining projects in all ten schools. Major works for infrastructure implementation include the completion of a second story of a new girls’ dormitory; the construction of classroom blocks and science laboratories; renovations and refurbishments of existing classrooms and administrative blocks; perimeter fencing; borehole construction; and renovation of plumbing systems. Schools for Schools also provides much needed equipment and resources, including textbooks, sports and arts materials, science apparatus and other teaching and learning materials. Training and support is provided through workshops, regular stakeholders’ sessions and monitoring and evaluation.

All Round One projects in these schools were completed by Fall 2008.

The first project undertaken by the Schools for Schools implementation team was a two-story girls’ dormitory at Gulu High School, completed in February 2008. Between money from students, a substantial grant from Wellspring International, and a unique partnership with Guess, Inc. made possible by Olivia and Caroline Marciano, the quality and magnitude of this project represents a bright future for the program. Similarly, a grant from Africare is currently being used to carry out water and sanitation improvements at seven of the 10 schools. Partnerships with organizations like Wellspring and Africare and with families like the Marcianos provide additional support for our big vision.

Round Two of Schools for Schools launched in September 2007 and ended January 2008. More than $1.5 million was raised in this semester for the 10 partner schools to continue improving the quality of education for thousands of students. The second phase of projects began in July 2008.

Round Three of Schools for Schools started in September 2008 with an international tour and an additional partner school in northern Uganda. The competition ends on December 17, 2008 and we are still accepting new schools. Go here to sign up.