Since its opening in May 2008,
thousands of students have been educated at this school at no cost to their families.
Our First School
As its first project, Global Playground contributed $36,000 to build a school in the village of Buwasa in the Wakiso district, part of the greater Kampala region of Uganda.
In September 2007, ground broke on Global Playground’s first project in Buwasa. Global Playground worked closely with Building Tomorrow, an organization with local personnel who were able to monitor implementation of the project.
The BT Academy of Buwasa is one of several Building Tomorrow schools in the Wakiso district. Students come to school from six local villages: Buwasa, Budaali, Kyanuna, Kituula, Kyampisi, and Busunju. The main source of income for students and their families comes from food crops like maize, beans, cassava, and potatoes — many of the foods that make it into the free lunch offered to students at BT Academy of Buwasa.
The BT Academy of Buwasa was built using over 30,000 bricks that were purchased from community members and the labor of 125 community volunteers. Many of these volunteers and vendors went on to send their children to this school.
Since its opening in May 2008, thousands of students have been educated at this school at no cost to their families. The school can accommodate 325 students.
325 students
are accommodated by the facilities.
Six local villages
channel students to the school.
The State of Education
The world’s school-age population is increasing most rapidly in Africa, and yet these developing nations are least able to provide for the educational needs of their people. School-age children in sub-Saharan Africa have lower rates of attendance than children in almost every other region of the world.
On average, children only attend 3.5 years of school, six years less than in developed countries. Moreover, in over half of the countries in sub-Saharan Africa, more than 10% of students repeat at least one grade of primary school. Unfortunately, the spread of HIV/AIDS and poor government funding for education further complicate the matter.
Rural areas of Uganda, including Wakiso, also have limited access to education.
Less than 50% of children under 18 years old are within a reasonable distance to attend a local school; and with only a few roads and electrical lines, the infrastructure is lacking for the Ugandan government to open enough schools to meet the need. Currently, drop out and repetition rates are still high at 12%, especially due to the continued prevalence of HIV/AIDS. For the past seven years, the Ugandan government has implemented the Universal Post Primary Education and Training in order to increase attendance and quality of secondary education since few students attend secondary school or any further higher education (1).
1. The Republic of Uganda Ministry of Education and Sports. (2013).
<50%
of children under 18 years old are within a reasonable distance to attend a local school
12%
drop out and repetition rates are still high
Uganda is an East African nation of 28 million people with a rich and vibrant culture. After decades of violence and civil war, the new government is committed to improving the lives of its people.
Did you know?
Almost 50% of Ugandans are under the age of 14, making Uganda the world’s youngest country.
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