How Not to Build a School(s)

Computers in use in Buyaya

Have a look at this piece over at Voluntourism Gal.

It is the tale of three schools.  One that was being used and operating fine, a newer one that was built that made the first redundant, and a third that was half finished.  And all three schools are built on the same half acre property!

Part of the problem with building the second and third school was that they never talked to the community about what was actually needed.

The school that Meaningful Volunteer is building in Uganda is needed.  Meaningful Volunteer communicated with practically every villager, and conducted an extensive census of Buyaya - the target parish.   We learnt the following:

• Practically no child under the age of nine can recognize a single letter
  
  
• Practically no child under the age of twelve can read a triplet word (dog, cat, hat, man...)

And it didn't take a census to know that computer literacy was next to nothing.

This is why the school in Buyaya is focusing on English and computer literacy.