SSANGA primary school
Primary School Grades: 1–7
Teachers: 5
Current number of Students: 132
Current infrastructure setup: Lessons for 5 grades are taught in a shared classroom, 2 grades are combined outside under a large tree
history
In the sleepy town of Ssanga, there is an air of despondency in the village where the average household income is less than 35 cents a day and the community lives in extreme poverty. Life has become desperate for the village as population stress, high levels of unemployment and rising rates of alcohol abuse affect the community.
Community leaders have identified a lack of education, among the biggest challenges facing the village, reporting low education rates with 2 to 3 school aged children in every household not attending school. Raising the Village is now working with the Ssanga Village to build school facilities, improve education programs, establishing sustainable agriculture projects, and developing plans for access to life-long learning.
stats
Ssanga Village, Mabira Rainforest, Uganda
(15 miles from nearest town: Jinja)
Estimated population of village and surrounding areas
620
Local landscape
The village is deep within the Mabira forest reserve, a lush rain forest with a rich variety of wildlife and vegetation.
Accessibility
Transportation is restricted as pathways are routinely washed out and flooded due to the environment, making it difficult to move supplies and equipment. Logging roads provide access to areas of the forest. However, travel by foot is the most common mode of transport.
Water source
A spring box that was constructed last year by the villagers about 1 kilometre from the school.
community involvement and support
The parents, guardians, and local village have committed to participation in the project through:
- Focus group for needs assessments and prioritization of facilities and programs
- Participation in school leadership committees to establish the program
- Donation and lease of land to house the project and sustainable activities
- Weekly volunteer labour hours to setup up gardens for income generation
- Donations of construction materials, and participation in construction
