Birds Without a Nest: The Struggle for Ugandan Students

While many of us are enjoying a return to normal life following the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the children of Uganda are still struggling for basic resources. Ugandan schools are not scheduled to reopen until January 2022, which will mean a closure of almost two years — the longest in the world. During the giving season, we’re hoping to help improve the situation for students in Uganda and show the world what EarlyBird has been doing to help.

While a lack of access to education is a problem everywhere it occurs, Uganda is particularly ill-equipped to deal with this challenge. First of all, the country has the second youngest population in Africa, meaning a large percentage of its people are affected. The very generation that we hope will create change in Uganda will have to overcome the disadvantage of two years without schooling. Additionally, Uganda has some of the highest rates of child employment and child pregnancy in the world, both of which take students away from schools and put them on a path with little hope for a better future.

Despite the setbacks, EarlyBird has always been dedicated to securing resources for the children of Kamuli. While kids in the area have been unable to attend school, we keep them stimulated with creative and entrepreneurial workshops and give them a place to express themselves. The students are sent home with food packages and homework to keep them busy during the days that we do not hold the workshops. We even offer workshops for parents to make sure they’re providing for their children and supporting them in the best way possible.

Students warming up before our creative writing sessions in Kamuli

Many of our efforts are centered at Rev. Nayenga Primary School, where we have a special relationship with the students. We provided tutoring for 100 primary seven students, and before the most recent lockdown, following the outbreak of the Delta variant, the children recorded the school’s best ever results in the Primary Leaving Exams. This success has helped us secure scholarships for the kids, who will receive 50% off tuition if they continue to secondary school, thanks to a local non-profit.

Even though we finally have a reopening date to look forward to, there is a lot of work to be done. Many schools were forced to close during the lockdown due to land issues and ongoing costs. As a result, there will be a surge in the number of the students at the schools we support. The children at these schools come from families that struggled desperately during the pandemic, and they will need the school to feed the children, who otherwise must learn on empty stomachs. 

While there will be more students, there will also be fewer teachers. Thankfully we have been able to support the primary seven teachers at Rev. Nayenga during the pandemic, who continued doing what they love while following COVID protocols. However, teachers at other schools across the country were forced to find other ways of making money to stay alive. We need to provide these educators with a reliable place to work so that we can offer more workshops and accommodate the increase in students.

In order to make sure Uganda’s next generation isn’t permanently disadvantaged by the pandemic, EarlyBird is raising $10,000 to support our workshops, tutoring, and porridge program. These initiatives will keep the students’ stomachs full and their minds stimulated. Education is the key to a better future, and we can’t let it be taken away from these children