W e, Francesca Cyris, Lisa Kaiser and Paulina Wittmann, are students of midwifery and social work at the
KSH Munich. With the help of an Erasmus scholarship we have the opportunity to do a practical
semester in Uganda. For this we are connected to the Kirabo Doors of Hope organization, which has
started some projects to improve the living conditions in the villages.
Kirabo Doors of Hope Organization
Kirabo Doors of Hope Organization was founded in 2011 by Tony Ssembatya Kimbowa and Teopista
Kimbowa. The goal of this organization is to provide every child with a school education and to fight
poverty. Uganda has the lowest average age in the world and many children grow up without a chance
for education. That is why Kirabo Doors of Hope has established a preschool for children ages 3-7 and is
currently building an elementary school. The organization has also launched projects to empower the
surrounding communities, especially for women and children.
Necessity of the programs
The Kirabo doors of Hope organization is located in Mbikko, near the town of Jinja. People in the
surrounding villages and suburbs of Jinja face several challenges on a daily basis. Many inhabitants earn
their living as self-supporters, as farmers or through prostitution, gambling, drug sales, small street
vendors or e.g. as boda boda drivers (motorcycle cabs as a common means of transportation). Diseases
such as HIV/AIDS and malaria have a strong impact on people’s lives and many are affected by poverty.
Especially children often suffer from the difficult circumstances in the villages. Some of them become
victims of domestic violence, are married off early or live as orphans. Parents are also often unaware of
the importance of education, and girls in particular are often neglected in the education system. The
image of women is not yet emancipated and society is very patriarchal. Therefore, the Kirabo doors of
Hope organization is especially committed to the promotion and education of children and the rights of
women.
School projects
School system in Uganda
The school system in Uganda starts with the Nursery school. The children are between three and six
years old and begin to learn reading, writing and arithmetic at this young age. The Nusery school is
followed by the Primary school. After successfully completing the seven years of primary school, there is
the possibility of attending a secondary school for four or six years. After completing the six-year
secondary school education, there is the possibility to start a university degree.
Opportunities for education
In theory, there is compulsory education for the seven years of primary school education. In practice,
however, there are several reasons why a many children are denied a good education or education in
general. Many children cannot attend school because they have to contribute to earning a living, for
example by helping in agriculture or looking after their younger siblings while their parents work. In
addition, many families cannot afford the tuition fees of private schools. Although there are also state
schools for which school fees have been abolished for the primary school years, the quality of teaching
in these schools is very poor due to significant underfunding. Often up to 90 children are in class and the
learning conditions are devastating. There are not enough teachers, no electricity and water, and there
is often a lack of windows to protect the children from the rain. Furthermore, there is a lack of teaching
materials, such as books, pencils, etc. Due to the far too low financial support from the state, the
schools often charge high fees for additional costs such as writing materials and school uniforms,
despite the abolition of school fees. These additional costs alone often mean that families from poor
backgrounds can no longer afford to attend school.
The vision of Kirabo Doors of Hope
The Kirabo Doors of Hope Foundation addresses this problem and, with the help of donations, would
like to enable as many children as possible to receive a good education, regardless of their parents’
financial means. The aim is to offer lessons completely free of charge through sponsorships or to reduce
school fees to a minimum even for children without sponsorships. Further goals of Kirabo are the
transfer of knowledge, the promotion of lifelong learning, the strengthening of communities and the
further development of the surrounding villages. These goals are to be achieved while respecting human
rights.
How are children selected for sponsorship?
The Kirabo Foundation works closely with the village leaders of the surrounding villages, who more or
less perform the function of mayors. In Uganda, people are very well connected, especially in the
villages, they know each other and there is a strong community cohesion. As a result, the village chiefs
usually also have a very good insight into the private lives and financial possibilities of the individual
families. For this reason, they suggest the families with the greatest need for support for a sponsorship.
Employees of the Kirabo organization then visit the families at home and assess the need. If the need for
support is confirmed, the children are accepted into the sponsorship program.
What is the structure of a sponsorship?
The school year in Uganda is divided into three terms. The school fees are also paid per term, i.e. always
for three months. There are different donation packages. Either only the school fees, or also the school
uniform and a meal (maize porridge) can be co-financed, since many parents cannot afford these costs
either. The following table shows the packages and the respective costs.
The Kirabo Foundation attaches great importance to the fact that the sponsorship campaign is not only
based on giving, but that a personal contact between sponsors and sponsored children can be
established if there is interest. For example, depending on the agreement, this could take the form of
letter or photo contact.
School fees
The education in the Nursery School lasts three years. A school year in Nursery School is divided into
three terms, one term being three months long.
• Babyclass 3-4 years old
• Middleclass 4-5 years old
• Topclass 5-6 years old
The education of the children takes place within the framework of ECD – Early childhood education. This
means that the children learn their first skills as early as possible, which will help them later in
elementary school. This includes reading and discs in English. If the children do not get the opportunity
to go to a nursery school, it will be very difficult for them to follow in the elementary school, because
there it is expected that the children can already read and write. The attendance to a Nursery School is
the foundation for the entire school education and is extremely important for the future of the children.
If you can imagine to support a child with school fees, you can get to know your sponsored child with a
picture and a short profile.
Package A: Payment of school fees for one year
The school fees include various costs incurred by the Nursery School for the education.
These amount to 350.000 UGX = 88 Euro per term.
The 350.000 UGX are composed as follows:
Teaching materials (copying costs, pens, pencils) 100,000 UGX
Water and electricity costs 50,000 UGX
Maintenance/ upkeep costs
(wear and tear, repairs to rooms and toilets, toilet paper) 50,000 UGX
Salary of teachers 100.000 UGX
Medical care 50.000 UGX
Total costs: 350.000 UGX
= 88 Euro per term
= 270 Euro per year
Purpose: Nursery School Kirabo Package A
Package B: plus school uniform and food
– School clothing for one year: 35.000 UGX each for sportswear, school uniform, sweaters =105.000 UGX
=27 Euro per year
=35,000 UGX per term extra.
– Food: Porridge, 500 UGX per day, 2500 UGX per week x 12 school weeks = 30.000 UGX = 7, 50 Euro per
term additional
Total costs: 75.000 UGX per term + 350.000 school fees: 425.000 UGX = 107 Euro = 321 Euro per year
Purpose: Nursery School Kirabo Package B
Package C: Donation for school improvement
In order to ensure a good education that meets the needs of the children, there is another donation pot
through which teaching materials, a water tank with drinking water, a child-friendly playground and
porridge and school uniforms for individual children, are financed.
= free money
Purpose: Nursery School Kirabo Package C
Package D: Primary School
Support for the construction and commissioning of the primary school under construction.
Purpose: Primary School Kirabo Package D
Donation address:
Recipient: Hope for Africa – Kirabo e.V.
IBAN: DE56 1005 0000 0190 9899 12
Purpose: depending on the package (see above)
How do we want to collect the donations?
• local newspaper
• associations
• social media
• KSH (Moodle, website, Instagram, circular email)
• circular
• Website Kirabo german and english