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Okune Primary School
Otuke District, Uganda
Projectstart: 2023
Donation status: 130.488 €
Goal: 201.126 €
Donation status: 130.488 €
Goal: 201.126 €
A total of 1,021 students are currently registered at Okune Primary School in the Otuke district of northern Uganda, most of whom come from economically disadvantaged families. Access to education is particularly important for them to lead a self-determined life. However, the lack of space, the high noise level and the lack of hygiene standards at the school are detrimental to concentration and even encourage school drop-outs. In addition, 9 teachers work at Okune Primary School, who also suffer from the catastrophic teaching and learning conditions.
The project aims to improve the quality of learning by building 4 new classrooms, 1 teacher’s office and equipping the rooms with appropriate furniture. In order to create more awareness around the topic of menstruation, a menstrual hygiene building with 4 separate rooms (changing room, rest room, study room and consultation room) and a special incinerator for the disposal of used hygiene products will be built. To promote mental health, further training and workshops are also offered for students, teachers and parents. The project is organized locally by LTP (Link to Progress). LTP and Visions for Children were already active at Okune Primary School last year as part of our WASH program, where water access was provided, sanitary facilities were built and workshops on topics such as hygiene and menstruation were held.
Initial situation
Some of the inhabitants of the 356 villages in the Otuke region of northern Uganda live very isolated lives in makeshift dwellings with a grass roof and walls made of mud blocks. Agriculture and animal husbandry are the most important economic activities, as in other districts of northern Uganda. However, there is a high unemployment rate, as the unfavorable weather conditions caused by climate change and the large price fluctuations affect yields. Child labor – especially in field and garden work – is part of everyday life here. Added to this is the low level of education in the region: 35% of adults aged 18 and over are illiterate and 18% of children aged 6 to 15 do not attend school due to poverty and hunger.
POOR LEARNING AND TEACHING CONDITIONS
Okune Primary School is a public school with a total of 1,021 students. The 515 girls and 506 boys aged between 6 and 17 come mainly from socially and economically marginalized families. They are taught together in 7 classrooms, with the class size currently averaging around 100 students – the state requirement is 63 students per class. Due to the lack of space and the lack of desks and chairs, around 145 students have to follow lessons from the floor. In addition, the school building is generally in a dilapidated state due to 20 years of civil war in northern Uganda. A quiet and concentrated learning atmosphere is almost impossible here, which leads to demotivation among the students and consequently drop-outs. In addition, there is no separate office for the 9 teachers to prepare and follow up on lessons.
LACK OF MENSTRUAL HYGIENE STANDARDS
For girls at Okune Primary School, there is no place to retreat and rest when they have abdominal pain due to their period or need to change their clothes. They also have no accessible place to store new sanitary pads. If necessary, they always have to inform the school management, which is why they often don’t even ask out of shame. There is also currently no place to dispose of the used period products, which are therefore either simply thrown into nature or the latrines, causing them to become blocked. For these reasons, schoolgirls often drop out of school and go home again. In addition, there is generally no protected space for girls to ask questions about menstruation and puberty. This fosters ignorance and stigmatization, leading to an increased risk of teenage pregnancy.
solution approach
The project focuses on three central points: Expansion of the school building, improvement of menstrual hygiene standards, mental health training for students, their parents and teachers.
EXPANSION OF THE OKUNE PRIMARY SCHOOL
In order to create sufficient space and a better learning and teaching atmosphere, a total of 4 new classrooms and an office for the teachers are being built – barrier-free access via ramps. The new and existing classrooms will each be equipped with 21 benches for the students, each consisting of a table and a bench, as well as 11 teacher’s desks for the teaching staff. To minimize health risks, a 10,000l water tank for rainwater treatment will also be connected, which will be used to fill up the hand washing facilities or for cleaning work.
IMPROVING MENSTRUAL HYGIENE STANDARDS
As girls are often absent from lessons during their periods due to a lack of suitable rooms and hygienic sanitary facilities, a menstrual hygiene building with 4 rooms is being constructed in addition to the new classroom block. The menstrual hygiene building consists of a changing room, a study room (incl. blackboard), a quiet room and a counseling office for a female teacher. The rooms are to be used specifically by girls (especially during their periods) and also serve as a protected space for them from sexual assault and to break taboos on the topics of menstruation and puberty. In addition, an incinerator is being built near the building so that used sanitary pads can be disposed of appropriately. During the day, these products are collected in a waste garbage can in the menstrual hygiene building. The hygiene products are also made available there in the rooms and regularly replenished by a female teacher. The costs incurred are financed by the school development fees.
KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER ON MENTAL HEALTH
In order to provide holistic education on the topic of mental health, students as well as their parents and teachers take part in various workshops to recognize clinical pictures at an early stage and thus protect their own mental health and promote inclusion. The workshops are run by our partner organization LTP in close cooperation with health assistants from the district.
The LOCAL PARTNER – LTP
Our partnership with LTP (Link to Progress) has already existed for several years and together we have successfully implemented a large number of projects in Uganda. The organization is run by women – a rarity in Uganda due to the prevailing, extreme patriarchal structures. The professionalism and diversity of the team in terms of the various skills and the valuable expertise of LTP (particularly in educational work for girls in northern Uganda) are also crucial for this project cooperation and promote sustainable collaboration.
What has been achieved so far
Nov 2023
Official start of the project
The education project at Okune Primary School in the Otuke District in northern Uganda starts in August. The aim of the project is to improve the learning atmosphere and menstrual hygiene as well as to impart knowledge on topics such as mental health, periods and puberty.
