About
21 years of conflict in Uganda has left the Acholi sub-region scarred and struggling to recover from the effects of armed conflict and displacement. Approximately 44 per cent of people in the Northern region, where Acholi is located, live below the poverty line. The Government provides no food for children at school and so, if there is not enough food at home, children are left hungry as they try to learn and develop.
With support from the Letcombe Trust, this project ran in Nwoya, a district in the Acholi sub-region, heavily impacted by the LRA. The project built on the foundations of existing school feeding programs in the district, to develop and enhance agricultural skills and knowledge, as well as life skills of 200 children aged 12-18 years. The project worked with school gardens, poultry and livestock rearing, which were used as learning centres where children could acquire the skills and knowledge in agriculture that will increase food production in their school and in their homes.
These learning centres provided children with human rights education and engagement opportunities with district agriculture and education departments, teachers and school management committees, giving them a voice and agency in shaping their own futures.
Impact
The project worked with 150 children to improve their agricultural and life skills, including teenage mothers and children who have dropped out of school, as well as parents, families, and school authorities. Together, the community driving the project increased school food production on a long-term basis, meaning children are better fed, improving their learning outcomes, and providing children with vital life skills and opportunities to earn a livelihood.