The Problems
General Problem
Child sponsorship organizations meet an urgent need in humble Ugandan communities by coming alongside families to provide the assistance needed for children to go to school. To be clear, without the critical efforts of these ministries and NGOs, most children from hard places in Uganda would not go to school.
Unfortunately, however, 95% of all students in Uganda who start primary school fail to finish secondary school (equivalent of high school). For many understandable reasons, most sponsorships for students also stop after high school. The likely outcome for these students is a life of extreme difficulty since their certificate of secondary school graduation has no inherent value and unfortunately, there are very few opportunities for meaningful employment.
In spite of multi-billions of dollars in funding and countless, well-intended programs running for decades, the outcomes from education for students in Uganda have remained largely unchanged. That is unacceptable.
Post-Secondary Problem
For the 5% of the learners who manage to receive their certificate of secondary school completion, the majority return to a life of poverty without any opportunity of joining a post-secondary program at University or Vocational school.
Even if a student is sent to a university, vocational school, or somehow manages to find a way to earn money, there is a void of relational mentoring and transitional support. There also exists the real problem of “culture shock” when students from humble communities move to universities and programs in large cities. Moreover, the job market is squeezed and extremely competitive. Because of the honor and shame culture from which they come, young people are further limited by the expectations of their community and the stigma of certain jobs which would otherwise represent a great opportunity for consistent earning.
Once enrolled at a post-secondary program, there is again a majority who fail to receive a degree. Those who do receive degrees, however, have very little chance of finding a job in their field of study. If any student comes from a humble background, the chances are lower at every stage. Even though there are billions of dollars going into sponsorship, education, job training, etc., the system is spectacularly failing to produce any meaningful outcomes.