Our goal is to help refugee children in Uganda have the opportunity to gain a basic education in a safe learning space.
Uganda is a landlocked nation in East Africa, bordered by Kenya, Sudan, Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Tanzania.
The Situation
Uganda is currently host to one of the fastest growing refugee crises in the world with over 1.50 million refugees having fled across borders from South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo due to conflict.
In the Palabek refugee camp in northern Uganda approximately 80% of refugees are women and children, arriving with almost nothing. Nearly 60% of the refugees are children of school age.
The Ugandan government has one of the most open refugee policies in the world, offering each refugee who arrives the right to access basic services including education and land. Many refugees in Uganda have vowed never to return to their home country. Uganda is the third highest refugee receiving country and the huge number of new arrivals has put extreme pressure on both existing Ugandan education services and humanitarian emergency facilities.
60% of the refugees in Palabek are children
15,000 children are registered in the 10 primary schools
Over 10,000 children at the settlement are still unable to access an education
Our Work
The Chaloner Children’s Charity Canada continues to work in the Palabek Refugee Camp in Northern Uganda. The first project it undertook was at the Canaan School in 2019. At the time it was an open campus with temporary structures which were not fit for purpose, and at least half the children were being taught under trees. Over the past three years Chaloner has been building classroom blocks at the campus as well as a headteacher’s office and all of the 2,200 children now registered at the school are taught in permanent classrooms. At the end of 2022 Canaan School was designated a government school due to Chaloner’s intervention. This means that the government, together with UNHCR, is now responsible for the running costs of the school and paying the teachers’ salaries.
Following the success of the Canaan School, Chaloner is expanding its work in the refugee camp. The government has recently opened up another two blocks of land for new arrivals, and therefore the need for more school campuses and classrooms continues to grow. Now that the initial emergency in the camp has passed, UNHCR and the office of the Prime Minister are responsible for the running of the camp. Both organisations work closely together and they oversee the administration of the schools and are in charge of making sure that there is funding for teachers salaries.
| Approximate Cost Per School | |
|---|---|
| School classroom | C$16,000 |
| Class Furnishings | C$2,750 |
| Teaching materials per classroom | C$275 |
Our Impact So Far…
Chaloner Children’s Charity has now completed the construction of 10 new classrooms together with a head teacher’s office at the Canaan Primary School in Palabek. CCCC has also provided teaching materials and furniture for the classrooms.
At the start of January 2022, the school had over 2,100 students registered, with more expected to enroll in the coming months.
An international charity, Education Cannot Wait, has committed to fund the running costs of the school and teachers’ salaries, and the longer-term goal is for the government to be responsible for the school. Our NGO partner is in contact with the Ugandan government, and the schools are now included in their district education plans.
Chaloner is looking to expand its efforts in Uganda to help combat the education crisis in these refugee camps. Our plan is to build a further 12 classrooms to reduce the severe overcrowding.
Take Action Now
Chaloner Children’s Charity Canada is looking to expand its efforts in Uganda to help combat the education crisis, but we need your help. Your contributions could support a child’s whose life has been turned upside-down.