School Mothers mentoring project in Uganda

Organisation: Africa Educational Trust 
Location: Otuke and Oyam districts, Uganda 
Project: School mothers mentoring project

In September 2010 Adsum entered into a three year agreement with Africa Educational Project (AET) to fund a school mentoring project in Northern Uganda. All over the world, education is recognised as a major force in breaking the cycle of poverty – but in post-conflict Northern Uganda, 80% of children have never been to school, the majority of them girls. There are very few female teachers and only around 10% of girls go to secondary school (compared to 22% of boys).

AET has worked with local communities to set up School Mothers schemes at 8 secondary schools in Northern Uganda. School Mothers, selected by their communities, receive training and materials to enable them to work in schools and communities, acting as an advocate for girls’ education, mentoring the girls and providing a strong link between girls, schools, and communities.

Among other things the role of a School Mother involves visiting girls in secondary school on a weekly basis providing guidance, counselling and support; Training girls in school on a variety of relevant topics such as HIV/AIDS prevention as well as making sanitary towels from local materials, and visiting the homes of out-of-school girls and their families to promote secondary education.

AET also provides small grants to stimulate income-generating projects chosen by School Mothers and the community, both to sustain the project and to act as an emergency fund to support the poorest girls (e.g. buying uniforms).

The value of Girls’ education is not underestimated in developing countries where educated women tend to earn higher incomes, marry later and have fewer, healthier children who are more likely to go to school themselves and the aim of the School Mothers scheme is to get as many of these girls into school, and keep them there, as possible.