Re-Igniting Hope in Educating Children

On September 07 2022, we re-visited Kwiayakuru Community Primary School in Ragem sub-
county in Ajibu village, Pakwach district. The school was started by the community members
themselves, due to the lack of a nearby primary school. The children from this community trek
every morning for about 2km to look for a nearby primary school. Many young children and their
families could not afford to move, and because of that, many parents decided to keep their
children home until community members themselves thought of opening a school to help their
children. Community stakeholders gave a helping hand to have this school started, like the
catholic church, which offered their one grass-thatched house, which now acts as the
classroom, to accommodate over 200 children. Other community members from the village, who
previously went and studied elsewhere, offer free education services by teaching the children.
The parents helped grow crops for the teachers, because they spend so much time at school
that they cannot grow crops for their own families. The school has four teachers - three male
and one female - who teach Primary One to Four, with over 300 children.

After visiting this school for literacy activities and tree-planting in July, we realised that the
school was closing because the parents were no longer supporting the teachers. They decided
to close the school so the teachers could grow crops to earn a living. We followed up with the
teachers and asked them to continue and we promised to revisit the school soon to host positive
parenting activities with the parents within the community and also to support the school.

We visited the school with a STEPi partner and the entire team conducted various activities,
including meeting with the parents who were invited for the positive parenting activities. I
challenged the parents about whether or not they love their children, to support them in school
by buying them academic materials, and supporting the teachers. Over 30 parents attended the
positive parenting activities spearheaded by me.

We donated teaching materials like textbooks, pens, boxes of chalk, etc. to support the teachers
before they start teaching the third term. Betty, who had a school in Nebbi and is now hoping to
make the school become a centre to support teenage mothers, donated all the desks which
were in her school to support the children in Kwiakuru community primary school.

We engaged with the children again through literacy activities. Some children who did not
receive any books in the previous visit also received books. We gave out one hundred copies of
“A Boy Named Justice”, “Do You Like Grasshoppers & Chapati?” and “Smelly Fish Island”.

“We are glad that you fulfilled your promise to revisit us to offer support to this school. We had
lost the hope that this school would continue. I was imagining where to take my children. Thank
you very much for supporting the school with academic materials, all along we have been
asking the government to support us all in vain I also want to thank you for inspiring our young
ones to fall in love with books and to embrace education These books you have given are not
for children alone, us parents are also part of it, from the positive parenting sessions I realised
we have a great role to play to support our children, thank you very much, may God bless you
all.” said Mr. John Opoki, the chairperson of local council one.

Our revisit to the school has built more hope in the parents to support their children and the
teachers in the school. It has also inspired learning in the children due to the literacy activities
conducted. This is a community which seems to be forgotten by the government. They are
isolated in a very rural village, and they lack a lot of life’s basic necessities like clean water,
electricity, better medical facilities and so forth. We hope to see continued support for the
school, in order to help the many innocent children within that community.

Written by: Joshua Oyergiu - STEPi Community Engagement Coordinator, Uganda