Region: Rhinocamp Settlement, Arua, Norduganda
Duration: 1 May 2019 – 30 April 2022
Project Partner: PALM Corps
Funding Bodies: Austrian Development Cooperation, Volkshilfe
With its project, Volkshilfe is helping to improve the quality of and access to schools for girls
Rhinocamp in the northern Ugandan district of Arua is home to around 150,000 refugees from South Sudan. The schools in the region are completely overburdened by the large number of children and the infrastructure is desolate. There are around 200 children in the first class of the primary school in Yelulu - far too many for one classroom and only one teacher. Some of the lessons are held outdoors, and there are only tables and chairs for some of them.
Girls are at an additional disadvantage: many of them do not attend school at all or leave without any qualifications. Their parents do not value their education or they have less time to study at home and take part in lessons due to their household duties. The hygiene situation hits them particularly hard because they usually have to stay at home during their menstruation. Many girls therefore drop out of school and have little chance of a better life.
We are therefore committed to ensuring that girls can also attend school and improving the infrastructure. To achieve our goal, parents, teachers and pupils attend training sessions on girls' rights and equal education. Through various events and campaigns, we also encourage society to rethink traditional gender roles. In addition, female school drop-outs are supported in catching up on their primary school qualifications.
