Jumpstart! Update – February

February is a significant month for many children in Uganda; it marks the beginning of the new academic year. Every morning, children in smart uniforms can be seen walking to school with their friends, laughing together and clutching new exercise books. What will this year hold for these school children, particularly the very youngest students?

Education is extremely important to us here at African Revival, but we also know that there are many components to a child’s early development. As such, this February is especially exciting, because we launched our new Jumpstart! project. In the past week, our Uganda-based team have been hard at work hosting community sensitization meetings in our partner schools throughout the Nwoya district. These sensitization meetings represent the first step of Jumpstart!: establishing a partnership with parents and care-givers, as we work collaboratively to give children the best possible start in life.

During these meetings, we have been working alongside parents and care-givers to ensure that children receive the appropriate support at home so that that they are well-prepared to succeed during their time at pre-primary school, which will offer a solid foundation upon which children can build their lives to become well-rounded, and successful individuals. It has been our great pleasure to meet many committed parents and teachers, who are eager to support their children’s development in any way they can. The local district education board have been equally enthusiastic about Jumpstart!, who told us that our programme is a valuable one which they fully support.

Completing a pre-primary education brings children to the academic level necessary to succeed in subsequent years, and reduces the likelihood of repeating school classes; the particularly good news there is that girls will therefore be more likely to finish their education before getting married. As the Ugandan government does not pay the salaries of pre-primary school teachers, one of the practical ways in which parents can support their children’s academic development is through paying their school fees regularly to ensure that nursery teachers are adequately compensated for their hard work.

This week, the team have spent many hours on Nwoya’s bumpy roads, but we have been thrilled by record number of attendees at the meetings; in one schoo, Anaka, we were welcomed by a record 203 parents, and were particularly encouraged to see so many father-figures in the crowds. In every school, we have been inspired by the enthusiasm of head-teachers, care-givers and parents alike who have all demonstrated a commitment to working together for the well-being and development of the schools’ very smallest children. One parent noted:

“I am looking forward to telling the people at home who weren’t at the meeting about everything we are learning. I can see how important my role as a parent is towards my child’s development; I am looking forward to being more actively involved in my daughter’s education and tracking her progress more carefully”.

This week, African Revival are funding 10 nursery teachers from our partner schools to  attend an intense, week-long early child development teaching training course in Gulu. We look forward to introducing you to some of the teachers, and finding out how they plan to implement their new-found knowledge and skills into their nursery classrooms.

Keep your eyes peeled for more Jumpstart! updates coming soon!

K1 Pupils Singing and Dancing #Jumpstart

Check out the new K1 nursery class at Anaka in Gulu, Northern Uganda singing and dancing! #Jumpstart

Thank You Sam Newman!

We want to say a BIG thank you to our fantastic long-term supporter Sam Newman from the A&A Group Ltd who organised a Dress Down Day in the office for us yesterday.

By encouraging his co-workers to get involved and help support African Revival, he managed to raise a fantastic £256!

Fundraising & Comms Director Holly was so happy she could barely open her eyes!

This is on top of the brilliant fundraising Sam did for us last month when he undertook a challenging Arctic dog-sledding trip across the icy Swedish wilderness.

If that wasn’t enough, Sam was also featured in the Richmond and Twickenham Times today for undertaking such an epic charity challenge for us – and now he’s talking about climbing Kilimanjaro for us next year too!

Thank you Sam and the A&A Group Ltd for your fantastic ongoing support.

If you’d like to take on a fundraising challenge for African Revival, check out our Events and Challenges and get in touch on 020 8939 3190 or e-mail info@africanrevival.org

Current Corporate Partners

The A & A Group

Since our inception in 2004, the A & A Group have been wholly committed to African Revival. Not only have they very kindly provided our UK staff with office space and utilities, their employees have also held many fundraising events for us and continue to support the charity in a significant way at each of our annual balls and golf days. Thank you A & A!

Adrian Flux

Adrian Flux has been another great supporter of our annual ball and of our recent jumpstart! campaign in particular. Thank you Adrian Flux!

A Plan Insurance Services

We are very lucky to have the wonderful support of A-Plan, one of the country’s leading insurance brokers. Through years of generous support, their staff have made a fantastic impact on our work, including donations towards classroom blocks in Northern Uganda and our schools linking programme. Thank you A-Plan!

Callstream

This is another great company that we are very grateful to have the support of. Callstream staff have been attending African Revival events for years and have always been extremely generous to us. Thank you Callstream!

SeekTeachers

SeekTeachers is a leading education consultancy that specialises in placing qualified and experienced educators around the world. Working with currently over 100 schools and spanning more than 30 countries, SeekTeachers is a premier consultancy to assist educational institutes get the highest calibre of staff and educational services.

The director of SeekTeachers, Asim Waheed, had this to say about the company’s partnership with African Revival:

“As part of our drive in ‘educating the world’, SeekTeachers supports charities such as African Revival to give back to the community. As a company we believe in giving back and support those who are not privileged to have an education. SeekTeachers actively promotes African Revival to our clients and candidates so that we can make a difference and touch the lives of young children that are keen to learn.  Join us in our quest, donate to African Revival and start ‘educating the world’.”

Thank you SeekTeachers!

Sure Thing! Insurance Ltd

We are also very lucky to have the generous support of Sure Thing! Not only have they given generously at African Revival events, they have also held their own fundraising events for us, including a fantastic Dress Down Day for our recent jumpstart! appeal. Thank you Sure Thing!

Transactor GSL

Transactor is another corporate partner that has been incredibly generous to us, from their regular involvement in our big annual events, to their major donations to our fundraising campaigns. Thank you Transactor!

Jumpstart! Community Sensitisation Meeting at Koch Goma

On the 12^th February, our Education Programme Co-ordinator Richard, alongside other members of our Gulu office, visited Koch Goma Central School with whom African Revival recently partnered for our new Jumpstart! programme.

The team met with members of the local community to discuss the purpose of Jumpstart! and highlight the responsibilities of parents and the local community in supporting all the key areas – including emotional, physical, cognitive and spiritual – of their young children’s development. The interactive and lively sensitisation session included role plays to engage attendees in demonstrating the ways in which parents and care-givers can create an enabling environment at home which will ultimately enable their children to thrive at school.

The head teacher Wyecffee Omencan, who has served the school since 1990, also passionately encouraged parents of the young pre-school children to commit to their children’s educational development. In particular, Omencan is a strong advocate for promoting gender equality both within schools, and within wider society. He recognizes girls’ potential to excel academically, and called upon the local community to not overload girls with domestic chores which may prevent them from attending pre-school classes. At African Revival, we are excited to see the potential of both young girls and boys unlocked through Jumpstart! , which will equip children with the skills needed to succeed at school.

After several hours in the midday sun, the sensitisation meeting concluded with refreshing beverages and an opportunity to welcome questions and feedback from the community. The response from the session was overwhelmingly positive, with many parents remarking how informative and helpful the meeting had been. As such, our team is confident that our partnership at Koch Goma Central School will be fruitful, and very much look forward to meeting the parents again during the school’s open day in April. In the meanwhile, our wonderful support worker, Max, is based at the school and is available on a daily basis to support the parents and teachers of the pre-school students.

Stay tuned for more Jumpstart! updates coming soon!

Welcome Jade!

After saying a sad goodbye to our Fundraising & Communications Volunteer Alex in the Gulu office in December, this month we are very pleased to welcome our new volunteer Jade Beakhouse! She will be carrying out a 6 month placement with us in Uganda, writing funding proposals, taking amazing pictures of our projects and gathering important research together about our education work.

Here’s a little more about her:

Jade grew up in Africa, where she quickly developed a passion for international development- particularly gender issues. She recently completed a Masters Degree in Humanitarian Studies at LSTM, during which time she conducted her dissertation research in Chad.

Jade is a total foodie and can usually be heard talking about the joys of bulghar wheat, chutney making and is excited to experiment with local Ugandan produce during her stay in Gulu.

SeekTeachers Endorses African Revival

Here at African Revival, we are very lucky to join forces with some fantastic partners who are helping us build brighter, better futures for children in Uganda and Zambia. SeekTeachers is one of those organisations.

SeekTeachers is a leading education consultancy that specialises in placing qualified and experienced educators around the world. Working with currently over 100 schools and spanning more than 30 countries, it is a premier consultancy assisting educational institutes to get the highest calibre of staff and educational services.

The director of SeekTeachers, Asim Waheed, had this to say about the company’s partnership with African Revival:

“As part of our drive in ‘educating the world’, SeekTeachers supports charities such as African Revival to give back to the community. As a company we believe in giving back and support those who are not privileged to have an education.”

“SeekTeachers actively promotes African Revival to our clients and candidates so that we can make a difference and touch the lives of young children that are keen to learn.  Join us in our quest, donate to African Revival and start ‘educating the world’.”

Thank you SeekTeachers!

To find out how your company can get involved with African Revival, please contact Emily at emily.brewster@africanrevival.org or call the office on 020 8939 3190

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Volunteer Recruitment at St. Mary’s University

In February, the fundraising team were very kindly invited down to St. Mary’s University in Twickenham to recruit volunteers for the year ahead. We had a great time and met some fantastic people – thank you to everyone who stopped by!

As a busy development organisation, we are always on the lookout for passionate, motivated and enthusiastic volunteers to assist us in the office, at collections and at fundraising events.

If you’re after some quality volunteering experience, feel free to check out our full list of volunteering opportunities here

In return, you will receive:

• Practical experience and insights into the every day running of a UK based charity
• Research, communications, events, fundraising and international development     experiences and skill development opportunities based on your interests
• Ongoing support from the fundraising and communications team
• The chance of a fantastic reference
• The knowledge that you have contributed to vital development work in two of the poorest countries in the world

To apply for any of our voluntary positions, just e-mail an up-to-date CV and cover letter to info@africanrevival.org

Don’t forget – our voluntary needs are constantly changing so keep an eye on our website and social media pages to stay updated with the latest opportunities!

Meet Susan Piloya #GirlsEducation

We would like to introduce you to Susan Piloya, a 14 year old student in Class P6 at Koch Goma Primary School – one of the highest population schools in the region, with over 1,000 pupils.

Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) is recognised as a crucial component affecting the quality of girls’ education in developing countries. Without access to facilities including hygienic latrines and changing rooms, girls are at serious risk of illness, school dropout and sexual abuse. This often puts them at a significant disadvantage to their male counterparts, hindering boys’ and girls’ equitable access to education.

If girls are to be encouraged to stay in school they need clean, private facilities in which to feel safe and secure. Too often in countries like Uganda there is either a complete lack of such facilities in schools, or girls are forced to use changing rooms and washrooms which are dirty or have no doors, leaving them exposed and potentially unsafe. Thanks to large programmes in the mid-90s like UNICEF’s Water, Education and Sanitation programme, which ran from 1995 – 2000, there has been an increase in the prevalence of such facilities for girls, but there is still a long way to go.

Girls’ access to changing rooms and washrooms is of particular importance during menstruation; it is all-too-common for girls to feel they have to skip school in order to manage their periods. Without clean and private changing rooms and washrooms they have nowhere to change dirty pads and manage their personal hygiene. Providing girls’ changing rooms and washrooms enables them to manage their menstruation with dignity, encouraging them to stay in school throughout their periods, and ultimately to stay in school full stop.

After attending one of our workshops for girls, Susan told us:

“Before the girls’ workshop, I would always feel uncomfortable going to the toilet to change my pads. Now I know it is normal and I’m healthy. I learnt how to take care of myself during menstruation and this has allowed me to stay freely in school throughout my period”.

“After the training I have been telling other girls how to avoid early pregnancy. I have been telling them about using condoms or abstaining from sex so that they can continue with their studies uninterrupted by pregnancy.”

Because many pupils lack the opportunity to become more aware of changes in their bodies when they grow up, girls often become the target of bullying and ridicule from boys at school. We have found that, unfortunately, many girls suffer these experiences in silence and are put off going to school as a result.With greater information, we hope to change this outlook for many girls in the region.

Since the start of the project, we have found strong support, both from teachers and from the local community, for girls’ education. This support has been so strong that the school community itself came up with the idea of forming after-school clusters. This allows a senior mother figure to mentor and support girls experiencing challenges, and is proving to be an effective way of encouraging girls to stay in school.

We are looking to build on the success of this programme both in northern Uganda and with the community schools we work with in Kalomo District, Zambia. Read more about the programme here.

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