Delay Marriage / Promote School

Location: Jinja, Uganda

In Uganda, 54% of women between 20 and 24 were married by 18, and 12% are married by age 15. In Busoga Region, parents marry off their daughters for money and gifts.

In 1997, the Government of Uganda introduced the Universal Primary Education program to provide free primary education. Enrollment increased from 3.1 million pupils in 1996 to 8.4 million in 2013.

But this success is overshadowed by high dropout rates and poor-quality schooling. According to UNESCO (2012), 68% of children in Uganda are likely to drop out before finishing the primary cycle due to several challenges: gender inequalities, low motivation of teachers, child marriages, lack of awareness of the benefits of education among parents, and poverty as mandatory school fees remain a substantial challenge for most children.

WORKING ARRANGEMENT

Supporting Schools to become "Good Schools" which means having qualified & motivated teachers, a conducive & non-violent learning environment, and a responsive and progressive administration.
Volunteers will be involved in;
1. Advocacy & Support for marginalized Girls
2. Create girl and boy-friendly sanitation facilities
3. Developing a School Information Management System to monitor attendance
4. Provide durable, child-friendly drinking and handwashing stations
5. Promoting Counseling and Guidance programs
6. Advocating for Positive Discipline instead of Corporal Punishments
7. Organizing School Debates
8. Sensitizing Parents and Teachers on the Importance of Education through school out reaches, Radio Talk Shows and Community Dialogues
9. Engaging Government Officials and Ministries.
Collaborating directly with schools and involving nearby communities is a proven approach that effects positive change: Enrollment rates increase, teacher-student relationships improve, children and parents become aware of the benefits of education, and schools begin to support girls by providing sanitary pads, scholastic materials, and separate washrooms.
Volunteers are requested to stay for three weeks to one year, working for 5 days in a week and 6-8 hours per day.

LIVING ARRANGEMENT

Volunteers will stay with a host family.