SPONSORING NEEDY CHILDREN THROUGH POST-PRIMARY EDUCATION

For more information, click on www.tess.uk.net to visit the sister website dedicated entirely to the Teso Educational Sponsorship Scheme or contact Mrs Margaret Stevens direct at mstevens@tess.uk.net or phone 01509 217538 or write to 25 Ravensthorpe Drive, LOUGHBOROUGH, LE11 4PU, UK.

The problem

There is free primary education throughout Uganda (known as Universal Primary Education or UPE). Although in 2007, the Ugandan government started making some provision for post-primary education, it will be a long time before there is completely free Universal Secondary Education for all children.

Because of extreme poverty amongst most people in Teso, due to past conflicts and orphans in every family, most families struggle to send children to secondary or technical schools. Those who are orphans or living in camps are very unlikely to be able to continue in school after completing seven years in primary school. And boys in a family are usually given priority over girls.

Many children in permanent camps cannot go to school

Desperately needy girls have few, if any, choices in life. Teenage girls not at school have little alternative but to be married off too young and become pregnant early. Then all hope of a brighter future is lost. There are also some very bright boys who, because of extreme poverty, have no hope of continuing in education and face a wasted future, with low self-esteem and little motivation.

Two of our sponsored girls, cousins Ariokot (back left) and Alupo (back right). Both their fathers were killed by the LRA. Alupo has also lost her mother and sisters through disease. They live with Ariokot's family in one room in a camp.

The provision

TDT is running a very successful sponsorship programme, known as the Teso Educational Sponsorship Scheme (TESS), which enables very needy children to benefit from post-primary education. This was set up in 2004 at the request of church leaders in Teso who see the education of bright children, especially girls, as being the key to all long term development and the future hope of Teso. At an Oxfam lecture in 2006, it was stated that “girls' education is paramount and more productive in the long term than any other development project”.

Educate a girl, you educate a nation

Now in its fourth year, there are 205 children (including 20 boys) in secondary and technical schools. We normally aim to take children onto the scheme when they complete primary school. But we sometimes also take on children who have started in secondary school but have then had to drop out because of changes in family circumstances, usually the death of the person who has been paying their fees. We therefore have children aged between about 13-23, at all stages of secondary and further education.

Sponsors undertake to pay school fees for six years. The Ugandan education system is based on the British system. They study for four years (in S1-S4) before taking the equivalent to GCSE / 'O' levels in 8-10 subjects and then a further two years (S5 and S6) for 'A' levels (3-4 subjects). For those who are not so bright, there are alternatives such as Junior Technical School for four years (practical subjects are taught in addition to the basic academic subjects, so equipping them to earn a living by some trade) or a Technical Institute after S4 instead of doing 'A' levels. Those who complete six years at secondary school need further sponsoring to do a two or three year diploma course or even a degree course. We therefore aim to equip them all to earn a living and start supporting their families and paying fees for younger members as well as contributing to the economy and development of Teso through the use of the skills and knowledge they have gained.

Students listening attentively on a Retreat

Most secondary education in Uganda is in boarding schools. Because our sponsored children come from such poor families, they have nothing to bring to school, so we have to provide them with a basic kit of essentials, such as mattress and bedding, mosquito net, toiletries, uniform, shoes, knickers, mug and plate, stationery, dictionary, small tin trunk etc. Many of these items need replacing during the six years they are at school.

3-tier bunks in a dormotory at Bethany Girls school

We also enable every student to attend a Retreat for one week at the end of each alternate year during their sponsorship period. During this time, we cover many extra-curricular subjects including sessions on corruption, relationships and sex, bullying and peer support, careers guidance, study skills, developing mental skills and agility through games, puzzles, art and writing, as well as a day's outing, good food and time to rest and relax, something which they never have the opportunity to do at school or home.

Some of our sponsored students on an outing

There is no free medical care in Uganda, so we have to provide treatment and pay for hospitalisation when students become ill.

Not even schools and teachers have many, if any, text books. We try to provide all our children with at least one text book each year as well as giving them prizes for encouraging performance.

Ongoing pastoral care and counselling is provided for the children by the programme officer in Soroti as well as by the UK co-ordinator and a few sponsors who go with her twice a year to help.

The sponsorship programme is run through TDT in the UK by Mrs Margaret Stevens – please contact her direct if you want more information or wish to make a donation, on email roger@stevenspain.fsnet.co.uk  or phone 01509 217538 or write to 25 Ravensthorpe Drive, LOUGHBOROUGH, LE11 4PU, UK). Please make cheques payable toTeso Development Trust.

In Teso, it is run by Rev Sam Ediau (email: tesocsp@yahoo.com)  who is based in the Church of Uganda Soroti Diocesan Education Office although his salary is funded by a grant from the Barbara Ward Children's Foundation.

Children are selected by Sam by using a questionnaire and objective scoring system agreed by TDT which takes into account their performance in the primary leaving exams, family circumstances and level of poverty indicated by such things as number of meals a day, how many children have already dropped out of school, number of huts and gardens, whether they are living in a camp. It is weighted in favour of younger orphan girls, but does not exclude bright boys from desperate backgrounds or older girls who have dropped out of school. All children who complete a form go onto a waiting list and are allocated sponsors as they become available, strictly in order of their selection score.

The challenges

We never have enough sponsors to meet the demand of desperate children longing to go to school; nor is there enough money to provide them, or even their schools, with the text books they need. Not all sponsors are able to add on extra donations for things such as medical treatment, basic boarding kits, replacement of essentials such as uniform and shoes, and attending the Retreat. It is not in the Ugandan school culture to give rewards or even encouragement and praise for good achievements and significant improvement, so we like to encourage all the children, especially as they have already been so deprived and traumatised during their short lives. 

We rely heavily on extra donations, often from people who are not able to sponsor a child through six years of secondary education.

Present challenges

We need the following:

• £200 a year for six years (or £160 p.a. for UK tax payers who can Gift Aid donations) will sponsor a child through secondary education. At least 40 new sponsors are needed each year. In return, you will receive letters, reports and photos from your child every year. Sponsors are asked to write to their child at least once a year, which means so much to them and enables a relationship to develop.
• £50 will buy a basic boarding school kit
• £35 enables one student in S1, S3 and S5 to attend the annual Retreat
• £20 enables us to buy replacement uniform, shoes, exercise books etc during the six years at school
• £10 is enough to test for and treat malaria. More will pay for more serious sickness.
• £5 is enough to buy one text book in Uganda
• £5 will buy a prize, usually a text book or stationery

Future challenges

• We need to start raising money and finding sponsors for higher education such as diploma and degree courses.
• With more money, we could help develop and equip some of the schools our sponsored children attend, as well as provide some in-service training for teachers.
• There are plans for building an income-generating Centre which would provide some facilities, training and employment for some of the sponsored students.

For more information, click on www.tess.uk.net to visit the sister site dedicated entirely to the Teso Educational Sponsorship Scheme (TESS) or contact Mrs Margaret Stevens direct at roger@stevenspain.fsnet.co.uk or phone 01509 217538 or write to 25 Ravensthorpe Drive, LOUGHBOROUGH, LE11 4PU, UK.