November 19, 2010
New Project Won: Uganda—Literacy Enhancement and Rural Nutrition
ACDI/VOCA has won a $6.9 million cooperative agreement to develop a three-year Food for Education program in northern Uganda.
With local partner Feed the Children Uganda, ACDI/VOCA will implement the USDA-funded Literacy Enhancement and Rural Nutrition (Uganda-LEARN) program, which provides a range of services to improve attendance and create a better learning environment for children in northern Uganda.
Specific activities include school feeding; school gardens; community training; and the rehabilitation of classrooms, teachers’ residences and pit latrines.
Northern Uganda Rebuilds after Conflict
Two decades of armed conflict and internal displacement in northern Uganda have strained the educational infrastructure, disrupted staffing patterns and impaired school attendance, which have undermined students’ academic performance in the region.
Now that the situation in northern Uganda is peaceful, many people have returned to their homes but are in need of support to rebuild their livelihoods to ensure food security and combat short-term hunger.
Food Security is Key for Education
ACDI/VOCA will target its activities in the districts of Katakwi and Amuria of the Teso subregion, one of the most food-insecure regions in Uganda, where children’s ability to attend school is limited by their household’s efforts to meet daily food needs.
The program will
- improve school attendance and retention of boys and girls in ACDI/VOCA-assisted primary schools, with a special emphasis on girl students
- improve educational facilities for students and teachers
- improve knowledge of nutrition, hygiene and agriculture
- increase ability of local communities to manage and sustain school-feeding programs
Learn more about the Uganda-LEARN program here.
