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First days of school: Project Shelter Wakadogo opens in Uganda

Earlier this year, TheIsmaili.org reported on Project Shelter Wakadogo, which was building a nursery school in Northern Uganda. Five months later, with the school built, we caught up with Farah Williamson, one of the project principals, to learn how they are progressing and their hopes for the future.

When we met in the spring, you were about to put the final touches on your school in Acoyo, Uganda.

Children line up to brush their teeth for the first time. Photo: Andrea Charbonneau

Yes, on 5 June, after four years of preparation and a year of construction, the Project Shelter Wakadogo school opened its doors to 80 children, the youngest of whom is three years old and the oldest is six.

The children feel part of something for the first time. They are brushing their teeth for the first time. They wear a school uniform for the first time. The village leaders tell us that it is the best thing that has happened to their community. It is the first and only school in Acoyo — a little village of 5 000 people, situated in the Gulu district of northern Uganda.

What is a typical day like for the children? What is the language of instruction?

We try to make sure that every child that comes to school has a positive, creative, educational and fun day. The walls are covered with ABCs and there are toys and books in every corner. The teachers read them a morning story, and teach them arts and crafts using bits and pieces that they find outdoors. The children do papier mâché, they play with instruments, they are learning how to paint, they are playing their first games of football and basketball, and they sing every day.

Teachers have been trained to the highest level by local educators. They teach in Luo, the language of northern Uganda, as well as in English. We want to prepare the children for a time when they will need to speak both languages fluently.

Why is this age group (3 – 6 year-olds) so important?

The children are at their most vulnerable stage of their life. They are creating their first sense of self. They can escape a life of poverty and hardship for a few hours each day so that they can be children and do what children should be doing — playing, interacting with other children, singing and reading.

Mawlana Hazar Imam has often talked about the importance of Early Childhood Education in the work of the AKDN. Our focus is on learning through play in order to teach them basic knowledge of cognitive, social, emotional and physical skills.

Were there any difficulties getting things off the ground?

Well, with so many “first times” we were bound to come across some challenges, and the biggest has been finding our limits.

The school chef prepares fresh porridge every day, which for many of the children is the only nutritious meal that they receive. But she is also a single mother of eight children, two of whom — Daniel and Rebecca — attend the school. When one of her sons — a brother of Daniel and Rebecca — succumbed to malaria and died, we felt a sense of responsibility and had no choice but to be involved. But we cannot save everyone from malaria, just as we cannot rebuild all the muddy, pot-holed tracks leading to the school.

Farah Williamson together with siblings Daniel and Rebecca, who attend the school. Sadly, their little brother died of malaria soon after this photo was taken. Photo: Nilmin Williamson

What has been the reaction of the local community? Are they supportive?

The community plays a big part in the school. It is important that they are bought-in and have a sense of ownership of the place that they send their children to every day. They have helped to fix the road with band-aid solutions, like filling the potholes with soil. All their work is undone when the rains come. But then they start all over again, because they want to ensure that each child is able to get to school every day. They have also planted grass on the school playground, giving the children a green space to play.

Do the families contribute towards the cost?

Before the opening of the school, we asked the community what a reasonable school fee payment per term would be. The community is remote and the average adult earns £1.45 a day. We agreed on 25 000 Ugandan shillings per term, which is £7.30 at today’s rate.

A few of the children from the older class at the Project Shelter Wakadogo school. Photo: Andrea Charbonneau

But it costs us £190 per year to educate and feed a child; the school can never sustain itself on such low fees. We cannot charge more because the community simply cannot afford it. We want to instill the understanding that parents must save a little to give their children a good education.

It is a fine line because we want to keep costs affordable. Each case is treated individually; for example we have a child whose parents are both disabled and therefore unable to work. We have found a couple in Canada who have agreed to sponsor the young girl through her next two years at our school.

As you are in the United Kingdom and your other colleagues are in Canada, who runs the school on a day to day basis?

A local, experienced Programme Manager manages the school. His name is Patrick and he has years of experience working for the Norwegian Refugee Council. His background is in managing complex projects and teams of people. He is also an entrepreneur and started his own restaurant and taxi company. We wanted to recruit someone who can also see the endeavour as a business, because we need to find ways of using the school’s land and infrastructure to make it self-sustainable. This is our next challenge.

How would you sum up what you have achieved so far?

A four-year-old boy from the youngest class enjoys reading a book. Photo: Andrea Charbonneau

We have a great deal of satisfaction. It has taken a few years and lots of hard work, but with my mother Nilmin, and Andrea Charbonneau, and the support of so many friends and family, what was once a dream has now become a reality. All our supporters, donors, volunteers and anyone who has contributed their time or knowledge to this project can feel assured that each child is being given the best education and the best chance to change their future. We have even had non-African families from Gulu (the nearest city) approach us to send their children to the school. This is a real compliment to our teachers and the community.