WNCB in Uganda celebrated the successful handover of the Nanyidik Motivational Learning Centre, now proudly known as Nanyidik Primary School.

When WNCB was launched in 2019, we decided to focus our work in Uganda on the communities of Moroto and Nakapiripirit in Karamoja. These communities not only lacked schools, but held deeply entrenched social norms that did not value education. Girls were seen as a source of income through early marriage and boys were raised to become herdsmen. Children were working in mines and other forms of child labour started to emerge.

Nowadays, the story is totally different. Two communities donated land to establish schools – a process that was made possible through WNCB efforts. We also supported the communities in setting up functional community structures to monitor child labour in mines and homes and to ensure children are in school. Together with the local governments of Moroto and Nakapiripirit we succeeded in convincing the government to staff the schools with teachers.

“When I visited the communities (in December 2023), the cultural and political leaders – people who never went to school themselves – spoke very passionately about the need for their children to be out of the mines and in school. The communities now claim their rights and call on the local government to strengthen child protection systems and provide ‎public services, including accessible and quality education.‎ As a result the government committed to adding more classrooms and teachers up to Primary 7. The Motivational Learning Centre in Nayidik (Moroto district) has formally been taken over by the government and is now known as Nanyidik Primary School”, explains Juliet Wajega, programme manager WNCB Uganda.