Some facts about the country
Located in East-Central Africa, Uganda became in 2007 the first African country to introduce free universal secondary education. Yet, in 2017, 79% of students who began primary school did not make it to secondary school at all. In addition, three quarters of the population live in rural areas but migration to cities is increasing, due to the lack of opportunities in rural areas. In response to these challenges, the Kimanya-Ngeyo Foundation for Science and Education initiated the Preparation for Social Action (PSA) program to give youth and adults access to a high quality education which enables them to further develop their intellectual and moral capacities and to take ownership of the development of their community.
Our partner
Recognized as an NGO in 2007 and supported by Unity Foundation since 2009, Kimanya-Ngeyo Foundation for Science and Education initiated the PSA program to address the challenges of education in Uganda.
Through this program, youth and adults learn to become promoters of well-being in their community and initiate projects that contribute to its overall development. Since its inception Kimanya-Ngeyo has worked with a few thousand youth and adults representing a wide spectrum of rural and peri-urban community members: from students to school dropouts, young mothers to small farmers, as well as teachers and small entrepreneurs. Some projects and activities that have emerged influenced by the program and carried out by the participants include: saving and lending schemes, moral education classes for children and junior youth, goat keeping, crafts making, and early child education, among others.
The field of agriculture is one of the foundation’s strengths. Since 2013, it has been engaged in a process of action-research in an effort to develop diverse, sustainable, high-yielding, and ecologically sound production systems that are appropriate for the realities faced by small farms. The team of individuals following action-research activities in the domain of agriculture has been generating learning in the areas of urban garden management, improvement of soil fertility in a diversified high-efficiency plot through the cultivation of green manure, and chicken rearing, as well as lending support to plots managed by tutors and participants in the PSA program.
In addition to offering the program to youth and adults of various profiles, Kimanya-Ngeyo is engaged in training primary school teachers from private and public schools. Studying the PSA program positively impacts the quality of their teaching, as research has shown. After their participation in the program, they endeavor to make lessons more practical and to connect what they are teaching to the lives of their students; they involve students more actively in-class activities and discussions, which some teachers note has increased students’ attentiveness. Relationships between teachers and students have also been impacted positively as a result of the trainings as teachers now show much more patience and understanding for their students, with many even endeavoring to visit students at their homes to talk with their parents. During these visits, teachers also share with students and community members about what they have learned in the areas of agriculture and environment.
Goals
Some of the numerical goals of the five-year project (2022-2026) supported by Unity Foundation are as follows:
- 690 participants in the PSA program accompanied by 69 tutors,
- 50 agricultural plots and 3,000 backyard gardens cultivated.
Updates & stories from the field
LINES OF ACTION
Preparation for Social Action (PSA) program
LOCATION
Three districts in Uganda: Jinja, Buikwe and Kamuli
LOCAL PARTNER
Kimanya-Ngeyo Foundation for Science and Education
COLLABORATION WITH UNITY FOUNDATION
Since 2009
DURATION
Framework agreement “accord-cadre” 2022-2026
TOTAL BUDGET
€598,785.05