Givology - give to learn, learn to give

Schools in Uganda face many challenges to providing quality education, such as large student populations, inadequate school facilities, and limited teaching supplies. Uganda classrooms have an average of over 100 students. Due to large numbers of students and a limited government budget for education, schools function without necessary tools and materials for teaching their students. The lack of funding and infrastructure has produced dismaying educational results. In Uganda, all students are required to pass the Primary Leaving Exam, a national exam taken at the end of primary school, in order to proceed on to secondary school. Unfortunately, our district consistently brings one of the lowest passing rates in the country; 25% of primary students in our district fail this exam outright and another 46% while passing are in the lower divisions with only 2% achieving division 1 status. In addition, the mathematics portion of the exam often proves to be the most challenging subject for students, and records the lowest results. These are problems that can be immediately addressed by providing better math training aid resources to teachers in our district.

From speaking with teachers in our outreach schools, they expressed the need for Chalk Board Geometry Sets to use to teach mathematics. These sets include a large compass, protractor, and ruler that can be used to demonstrate math concepts on a black board. At the moment, many schools do not have these tools, and therefore find it challenging to teach the most basic of geometry concepts to their students.

For this project, we intend to donate Chalk Board Geometry Sets to 14 underserved schools in rural Uganda. We feel this will make a sustainable impact because these tools can be maintained by the school and used to teach math classes for years to come.

In addition, Arlington Academy of Hope will be conducting a Teacher Training Workshop next year, at which professionals will discuss effective techniques for teaching mathematics to students. To complement our teacher training program, we intend to donate these Geometry Sets to participating schools, thereby providing them with both the education and the tools to create a better learning environment for their students.

Since its initiation, Arlington Academy of Hope has made it a priority to respond to the needs of our community in Uganda. In the past, we have contributed to local schools by giving school supplies to students, supporting school renovation projects, and providing scholarships for students to attend secondary school. Our outreach program to local schools is continually growing and expanding, as we seek to address the challenges in our community.

In 2009, Arlington Academy of Hope received a grant from USAID to distribute school supplies to 22 schools in our region of Uganda. The program was very successful, and the schools benefited greatly from those materials. This USAID program ended in 2010. AAH has been seeking to continue these types of interventions and thereby, enable more children to have a positive learning experience.

In Uganda, students often learn geometry in their equivalent of the 6th and 7th grade. The classroom population of a 6th grade classroom can range anywhere from 75 to 150 students, and the population of a 7th grade classroom can range from 30 to 100 students. These large classroom sizes mean that the potential impact of this project will be large, in that it touches the lives of over 2,200 students in 14 rural Ugandan schools.

For many students in our area, it can be difficult to afford the most basic of school supplies, so even receiving a pen or pencil is taken as a wonderfully exciting gift. The local teachers have expressed that they do not have Chalk Board Geometry Sets, or the ones they have are very dilapidated, and that this would be a very helpful and priority learning tool for their students.

Arlington Academy of Hope (AAH) is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization based in the United States that helps children in rural Uganda reach their full potential. AAH’s vision is to transform villages in rural Uganda into vibrant, self-sustaining communities through quality education and healthcare. By creating model schools and clinics, we provide education and healthcare programs, local development opportunities, and community outreach to improve quality of life and transform poor villages. We do this by engaging a caring community of volunteers, child sponsors, partners, and friends in the United States, Uganda, and throughout the world.

Lacey English is the full-time Outreach Coordinator for Arlington Academy of Hope in Uganda. She works in-country with our partner schools to implement and monitor all outreach programs conducted through AAH. Having volunteered in Peru and India previously, she has now joined our organization in Uganda, and truly enjoys working with the kids in the community. With experience conducting other outreach initiatives, she has the skills to oversee new projects and the motivation to ensure projects are carried out both joyfully and effectively.