Girls & Sanitation – An Update

We are delighted to update you all on our Girls and Sanitation Programme.  This programme was launched in January 2018, and supports girls at 23 schools in Uganda and 15 schools in Zambia.  We’d like to thank all the individuals, trusts, and foundations who make this programme possible – funds were also raised at our 2017 Annual Ball.

You can read the latest report from our teams here

if you have any further questions about the project, or would like to support future years that are not yet fully funded please get in touch with catherine.inch@africanrevival.org

Juba Road ECD Classroom Build 2017

Juba Road Primary School ECD Classroom Build 2017

Our Partners

Current Partners 

Our work is made possible through the support of a range of dedicated individual donors, corporate partners, trusts and foundations. We partner with a number of institutional donors who support our vision of an Africa where every child has equal access to quality education.  Our key funding partnerships include:

AmplifyChange are funding an Advocacy, Stigma and Education programme – promoting MHM education in Northern Uganda

The German Embassy in Zambia
Supporting Munyenye Community School in the Kalomo District of Southern Zambia through funding of latrines for boys, girls, and teaching staff.  This complements a borehole and School Demonstration Farm, along with the Girls & Sanitation Programme that we run at the school.

Just A Drop have been supporting our water and sanitation projects, primarily in Zambia, since 2009 and continue to be our strongest supporter in that area. Adequate latrines, boreholes for drinking water and hand washing facilities make a huge difference to rural schools, boosting attendance and promoting child hygiene and wellbeing.

Play It Forward
Play It Forward have been supporting our water and sanitation projects at schools in Zambia for many years.  Staff often visit the schools, and recently they have extended their support to include building of classrooms and other infrastructure projects.

British and Foreign Schools Society (BFSS)
The BFSS has supported African Revival for a number of years.  Most recently the BFSS have funded our pilot phonics programme working in ten schools in the Nwoya District of Uganda.  The BFSS have also supported our work in Zambia, including the construction of  three room classroom block at Muumba Community School near Kalomo.

The Big Give – We have joined partners over the years to generate new funding support for projects through the annual Big Give Christmas Challenge.

Previous Partners

Department for International Development (DFID)
UK Aid helped to transform nursery classrooms by creating stimulating learning environments through our Jumpstart! programme. Our three year programme worked with 10 nursery schools in northern Uganda. The project launched in February 2015 and completed in February 2018.  We have been awarded A+ in the end of project review as outputs substantially exceeded milestones and project expectations.

Geneva Global
Speed Schools support children who have dropped out of education for one reason or another. We condense primary 1-3 into a one year course, allowing pupils tore-enter mainstream education in primary 4. 724 children passed the entry exam and returned to mainstream education in the first year of this programme.  We are now in year 3, running 50 Geneva Global Speed Schools in the Nwoya and Amuru districts of Uganda.

We worked with the Bestseller Foundation (Copenhagen) on a three year agriculture, education and livelihoods  programme in Amuru District, northern Uganda. With Bestseller’s support, from February 2015 to January 2018, we worked with 15 primary schools to establish school demonstration gardens and parent farmer groups with Village Saving Loans Associations, to support children’s learning outside of the classroom and boost agricultural productivity and links to market for parents.

The Japanese Embassy supported our work with Kitgum Primary Teacher’s College, northern Uganda to increase the number of female trainee teachers. Along with funds from our Landmark Ball, we were able to construct two dormitory blocks for young female students, as lack of accommodation was a huge barrier to female teachers completing their training. Before the dorms were constructed, of the 400 students the college had enrolled in 2013, just 137 were female but now nearly half of all students are female.

SNV – As a successful implementing partner of the EU funded consortuim led by War Child Holland, we received funding from SNV Netherlands Development Organisation, UNICEF and the Kingdom of the Netherlands to fund a three year programme covering 22 schools with school demonstration gardens, running from 2011 to 2014. SNV continue to fund this project, working in 25 schools in Abim and Agago district, northern Uganda.

International Institute of Rural Reconstruction (IIRR) – The IIRR assisted with funding the implementation of an education project in 4 Early Childhood Development (ECD) nursery centres in Nwoya District – Koch Goma, Lamoki, St Kizito Bidati and Anaka. This included resource provision such as nursery specific furniture, teacher workshops and training on subjects from child protection, to developing teaching and learning materials.

The Waterloo Foundation – We have received funding from the Waterloo Foundation for our work with Moonde School in Zambia, and more recently with our girls sanitation and retention project in northern Uganda.

Blue Door Foundation – We received funding from Blue Door Foundation to work with Akanyo Primary School in northern Uganda as part of our girls sanitation project.

European Union and War Child Holland
We worked in a consortium with War Child Holland as lead partner. We received funding from the European Union over three years to implement our livelihoods programme in Nwoya district, northern Uganda – 2010-2013.

STIR Education – We are working with STIR on elements of our Early Childhood Development (ECD) programme. STIR is a teacher-led movement to improve children’s learning in developing countries. This is done by recognising micro-innovations in the classroom and gathering teachers together in local teacher changemaker networks, as well as supporting them to adapt and integrate evidence-based practices in their teaching. We receive regular training and support from STIR to embed their methodology into our nursery programme so that the schools we support can achieve an increasingly powerful impact on teacher motivation and practice.

Jumpstart! Update

A HUGE thank-you to all of our Jumpstart donors!

Jumpstart! Uganda

We are working with 10 nursery schools in the Nwoya District of Northern Uganda, to improve the quality of nursery education available. Our Jumpstart programme focuses on Early Childhood Development (ECD), which affects 7,000 children in the Nwoya District. Since our project began, dropout rates have reduced from an average of 16% to 3% in the schools we’re working with, and enrolment figures have also improved.

Classrooms: Jumpstart! is transforming nurseries across Northern Uganda to create stimulating learning environments for children.  310 books have been published and 720 learning/play materials have been produced to improve student’s engagement during lessons.  The emotional learning environment has also been improved – teachers have developed codes of conduct to encourage mutual respect, observing the children’s rights and encouraging good behaviour amongst pupils.

Teacher-training: We have trained 26 nursery teachers, and a remarkable 433 primary teachers, in Early Childhood Development (ECD). We have also sent 19 unqualified nursery teachers on training to become qualified Caregivers. We have additionally trained tutors at the teacher training colleges in ECD, to ensure future teacher training provides teachers with the best possible ECD learning.

Playgrounds: Nursery playgrounds have been built at four schools, but unfortunately the build of the remaining 6 has been delayed as our partner EAP (East African Playgrounds) had previous commitments to UNHCR.

However, the construction of these 6 playgrounds has now begun. Playgrounds promote ECD by providing a stimulating environment – they attract a lot of interest from the local community!

Speed Schools: The speed schools aspect of the Jumpstart! programme has been a huge success.  We have trained 30 facilitators to teach 724 children who missed out on a lot of their education.  Speed school facilitators condense primary 1-3 into a one-year course, allowing pupils to re-enter mainstream education for primary 4. This month we secured further funding from Geneva Global to continue the programme next year in 40 schools, with the potential to expand the project into a further 20 schools in the region.

We have partnered with STIR Education in Uganda, to create a teacher-led movement with the aim of improving children’s learning in our ECD centres.  This movement has an annual focus, set by teachers – this years’ focus is ‘checking pupil understanding before moving on’.  Teachers are therefore empowered to improve the quality of education together.

To ensure improved enrolment and retention rates, we have engaged children’s parents in the project.  Each class has now elected one female and one male parent leader to lead discussions and organise activities.  The number of parents attending the annual open day at these nurseries has increased massively.  Parents’ contribution towards this project has been valued at £2,200.

Village Savings and Loan Associations: We have now established Village Savings Loan Associations at all the schools, and parents have saved a total of £2,600. This helps to promote saving in the communities and ensures that parents can pay their school fees.  When the village has adequate savings, the parents can borrow money and pay it back with a much lower interest rate than municipal banks.  These associations mean that parents form much stronger links with schools, as they can observe lessons and meet teachers.  Improving parent engagement has a positive impact on both enrolment and dropout rates. 

If you’d like any further details, please get in touch: catherine.inch@africanrevival.org

This project and the huge impact it is having on nursery education in Northern Uganda, wouldn’t have been possible without your donation.    

Thank You!

This project has been made possible by match funding by UK aid.

Jumpstart! Uganda: Programme Update

A huge thank you to all our generous donors who have made jumpstart! possible, here’s an update of what we’ve achieved so far.

Education: We are working with 10 nursery schools and over 7,000 children in the rural Nwoya District of Northern Uganda to improve the quality of education available.

Jumpstart! focuses on Early Childhood Development (ECD), cost- benefit rations of ECD investments reveal average returns of around 4-5 times the investment amount.  The programme has various aspects detailed below:

Teacher Training: We have trained 26 nursery teachers and an amazing 433 primary teachers in ECD.  We have also trained 10 nursery teachers to become qualified caregivers.

Playgrounds: We have built nursery playgrounds at 4 schools, and have secured funding from The Prince of Wales Charitable Foundation for additional playgrounds.  These bright and colourful playgrounds are unique in the area – so as well as allowing children to play in a safe, stimulating environment they have attracted lots of interest from the local community!

Speed Schools: In March we launched our accelerated learning programme for children that had missed out on a lot of school.  In just 10 months, we aim to take 750 children through the curriculum they have missed during the first three years of primary school.  We have already trained 30 facilitators who are underway teaching 724 out of 750 pupils.

Thanks for reading, if you want to discuss any of our projects, or projects we are currently looking to fund please don’t hesitate to get in touch. Team AR.

Do Something Amazing for you, and for African Revival

You can still enter through the public ballot and be part of Team AR, but don’t worry if you are unsuccessful as we have 8 guaranteed places.

Celebrating the legacy for cycling created by the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 100 starts at 06:00 in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, and then follows a 100-mile route on closed roads through the capital and into Surrey’s stunning countryside. With leg-testing climbs and a route made famous by the world’s best cyclists at the London 2012 Olympics, it’s a truly spectacular event for all involved. The Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 100 finishes on The Mall in central London, shortly before 150 professional cyclists race in the Prudential RideLondon-Surrey Classic on a similar route.

More information about the race can be found on the Prudential website here.

If you think you’ve got what it takes to complete this incredible 100 mile race (and do some fundraising for African revival in the process) get in touch:

catherine.inch@africanrevival.org

020 8939 3190

We are fundraising for Textbooks in Uganda

We are currently fundraising for textbooks, please take a look at our proposal below and get in touch if you think you can help, or donate here!

In Uganda, we work in the Acholi sub-region in the north, the centre of a brutal, two-decade insurgency by the rebel group; Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA).  When peace was restored in 2006, the people of northern Uganda started to rebuild their lives, but the effect on the schooling system has been long-standing, with many children displaced, abused and traumatised.

Why Textbooks?

In the absence of widely available sources of information, the textbook becomes the most important, and often the only source of content and educational information for the teacher.   Without vital textbook provision the central skills, concepts and content of the curriculum cannot be taught.

Your Grant:

African Revival is seeking £2,000 (8,800,000 Ugandan Shillings) to publish a total of 1,400 books in both Acholi and English.  These books will be used by K.1-P.2 in 5 Early Childhood Development Centres.  The quality of these learning materials will be reviewed and controlled by African Revival, to ensure relevance, appropriate content, and an adhesion to the Early Childhood Development (ECD) learning Framework.

Project Outputs: Our proposed project will be implemented in seven schools/ECD centers and will directly impact the education of 2,865 currently enrolled students. These schools are detailed below:

Ensuring that books align with ECD framework is central to this project. It has been proven that early interventions for disadvantaged children lead to improvements in children’s survival, health, growth, and cognitive and social development. Cost-benefit ratios of ECD investments reveal average returns of around 4-5 times the initial investment amount.

Project Outcomes: The educational outcomes of this project will be an improved academic environment, where teachers are suitably equipped with textbooks to teach children for several years after the project implementation date.  The continuing use of these textbooks means they will directly impact the education of students both immediately and in the future.  The production of different books suitable for different year groups will ensure that children have the correct material for their learning areas and development, ensuring they receive a more comprehensive education that will impact their lives for years to come.

Project Impacts: This project will directly improve child literacy, which research has shown vital for high levels of academic attainment in all subjects.  Improved education achieved through this project will have wide reaching impacts, not just on students but on the whole community.

Improved education has been shwn to have a causal and direct impact on numerous social markers such as: sanitation, health and mortality, nutrition, civic participation, and rural poverty.   Over time improved education in the Acholi region will create notable returns both financially and with regard to health, these returns will contribute towards rural development, eventually lifting many children and families out of poverty.

Golf Day

This year our annual Golf Day took place at the Warren Estate in Essex. 16 teams worked their way around the beautiful course, followed by a three-course dinner, prize-giving, and a silent auction. Congratulations to Academy Insurance for their second win a row!

And thank you to everyone who donated prizes – including a week in a luxury South African Golf Resort, signed memorabilia, and tickets to see England play at Wembley. We are delighted to say that we raised over £17,500 for education in Zambia and Uganda – our most successful Golf Day ever!

To all our friends and supporters who planned, organized, and donated prizes – we couldn’t have done it without you, thank you.

Growing season in Northern Uganda

Dark green fields indicate the rainy season has started in Northern Uganda. And with it, the new growing season. We support 15 school demonstration gardens in Amuru District. Parents with children at the school farm these gardens while African Revival staff give training, support, and advice.

Each group selects the crops they would like to plant. Staple crops include maize, rice, millet, and cassava. And parents also choose fruits and vegetable like onions, eggplants, peppers, avocados, tomatoes, oranges, mangoes, bananas, and pineapples. This season we have been busy helping farmers sow
seeds in nursery beds and transplant into main gardens.

School demonstration gardens bring parents closer to their children’s school so they become more engaged in their children’s learning.