At IRFF UK, we believe that education is the key to breaking the cycle of poverty and empowering individuals and communities to reach their full potential. Join us as we explore the challenges faced by children in the developing world and the ways in which we are working to make a difference.
Discover how our projects are making a difference in the lives of children in developing countries by reading about them below.
Destiny Junior School is situated in Kibiri, a location that lies between Kampala and Entebbe, close to Lake Victoria in the District of Kasese, Uganda.
Starting in 2008, IRFF UK has been investing in Destiny Junior School to support Jesca Nakamayisa's efforts in providing education and care to approximately 60 impoverished and orphaned children from her home.
As the Covid-19 lockdown came to an end, the school saw an increase in enrollment, with 194 new pupils joining. Currently, the school has 206 students, all under the leadership of Jesca as the headmistress.
The school has been greatly expanded over the last 15 years with classrooms, a library, a well, proper latrines, a playground, a security wall to protect the children aged 4 to 13, all funded by IRFF UK. It has great academic record locally.
The current numbers are 206 children but the head teacher Jesca is really keen to fill it to capacity soon – with 400 children.
More funding will be needed for that.
In Uganda, while 90% of children attend primary school, the percentage drops significantly to below 25% at the secondary school level due to a shortage of facilities and poor academic performance. This discrepancy exacerbates poverty, as individuals without a secondary education face reduced opportunities to pursue career paths. Furthermore, living in rural areas and experiencing poverty further diminishes the likelihood of receiving a quality education.
When better education and a safer environment are provided, children are more likely to learn and achieve higher grades.
This has very clearly been demonstrated at Destiny Junior School.
Destiny Junior School offers early years education and teaches students how to read and write. In a recent celebration, we acknowledged the outstanding achievement of sixteen Destiny Junior students who successfully passed the school leaving examination. Among them, 50% received a first-grade distinction, while the other 50% achieved a second-grade distinction. These results were recognised by the education board/government.
Over the years IRFF UK has been financing various improvements to the school
as well as more recently funding the following:
- Purchased two adjacent plots of land for expansion
- Acquired £1,300 worth of bedding for the 45 residential (homeless) pupils
- Covered a further £1,300 to continue the plastering of the security wall built in 2020 (necessary to protect it from harsh weather)
We are currently working towards:
- A further £2,600 to complete the plastering of the security wall
- £820 to furnish one of the classrooms
Funds for:
- Children’s meals
- Teachers’ salaries
- Rent for properties used to house the teachers
- Educational materials
- Medical bills for children
Your support would directly assist in attaining materials to complete the essential infrastructure work and provide this excellent education for the children at Destiny Junior School.
Sponsor a child:
With £10 per month, you could sponsor a Destiny Junior School student and provide them nutritious meals, clothes, and shelter.
We thank you so much for the Funds we get to run the school with your support we are able to achieve and impact our children's lives.The performance of our candidate of Primary Seven (P7) was so good and even got recognition from the Ministry of education Municipal council with one of the best performance last year in the Municipal.
The children are well fed at school balanced diet, and this gives them better concentration span and assurance that they have support and assurance of finishing Primary. The success in both academic and creating a complete good person for the community and transformed responsible person.
£6 per month pays for one child to attend Destiny School and enjoy one meal a day – five days a week. We currently support 206 children per month but the more income we have the more we can support and the more children Jesca, the headteacher, and her team can care for.
Would you like to support one child for £6-£10/month or maybe three children for £20/month?
100% of any new donations goes straight to the project.
WAIT Ghana is repositioning itself to create a Vocational Skills Hub that can deliver vocational skills training to help teenage girls achieve decent employment.
In 2022, in a village north of Accra, IRFF UK focussed on building an official location which is required when working with young people. This project assists teenage girls in acquiring skill sets which will enable them to earn a good living.
Ghana’s population is relatively young, with only around 3% of the total population aged 65 years or older. The country has a 56.6% unemployment rate among the youth population (UNESCO, 2016). Based on the historical average, out of about 360,000 secondary school students who graduated in 2020, only about 35% were able to transition to tertiary level (vocational training or university), leaving close to 240,000 in search of skills and jobs.
Knowledge and skills enhance access to job opportunities for second-cycle dropout students. Young women need to gain access to market-led competency-based skills training for employment or enterprise creation.
Then they can achieve financial and personal independence.The vocational training in the first half of 2023 involves five girls learning about bread-making or sewing.Vivian is sending girls for sewing training to sewing madams who will train them; with that method we can have three girls with three sewing machines. She has one sewing machine she bought and just needs to buy two more, and also pay the madams for their training.
The Vocational Skills Hub, Cohort 2 consisting of five girls now being taught bread making and sewing from early 2023. Cohort 3 may start around August.
IRFF UK supports this project by sending grants of about £1800 per annum which make the project possible.
By supporting this project you can facilitate more young women of Ghana to get educated and become self-sufficient.
Empowering young and adult women in rural communities with practical soft and vocational skills to create sustainable livelihoods and increase resilience is a very valuable contribution to these women and their communities.
£40 per month sponsors one trainee covering training costs, purchase of bakery supplies, sewing machines and materials.
Would you like to help with £5 per month or even £10 per month – it all adds up and helps greatly.
100% of any new donations goes straight to the project.
Cooperating with the World Cultural Association (WCA) we financially support a team in looking after 60 previously homeless children (street children) in Goma, DR Congo. Although these children have faced many hardships, most are now in foster care, and all are currently attending school.
Poverty is one of the main reasons why these children end up on the streets. They have either been abandoned or orphaned, resorting to manual labour or crime to support themselves. Furthermore, in November 2022, Goma fell under siege by M23 rebels, urgently requiring emergency aid as the children were caught up in the midst of this.
With good education and training, children have more chance of achieving a future of financial independence.
HFC works under very great difficulties with M23 rebels dominating important parts if the DR Congo infrastructure. They aim ultimately to become self-sufficient through projects such as running a bakery and crafting and selling metal tools but trading conditions are dire. Number one priorities are keeping the children healthy, safe, fed and also in school.The local coordinator Ben and his wife wrote end of May:
IRFF sent $302 very recently for the health facility in Goma, in addition to its regular monthly contribution.
We would like to thank IRFF UK for the support received for the food. Our volunteer team is grateful for the great work you do to advance HFC and promote the welfare of the children. We continue to fight for the development of our land so that the children can find a house where they can be accommodated and benefit from a good moral and spiritual education. The different circumstances that the country is going through have not allowed us to develop self-sufficiency projects. We are really sorry.
Food prices are rising every day. Today we buy at triple the price as a few months before.Millions of refugees are in Goma city now with difficult access to clean water, food, health
The region is threatened by epidemics (diarrhoea, typhoid, measles,...) plus other infectious diseases including, children are the most exposed, We decided to create our small health structure to meet the urgent need and promote self-care. With the support of WCA who helped us financially with $700 to make this project a reality. We managed to achieve at least 85% success. So the first beneficiaries of this health structure are the children of the HFC center who will benefit from free care. Those who come from outside will be able to pay. These fees may help to pay nurses and other costs related to the structure. At the moment we need to obtain laboratory equipment so that basic care treatments can begin. We need a support of $302 to make this happen. In fact the project has cost us more than $2,600 and we are unable to open without fulfilling certain necessary conditions.
IRFF currently sends £150 per month to HFC for food, medicines, accommodation and schooling.
A partner charity, WCA in UK, at least matches that.
Would you like to help raise another £50 per month to improve the children’s situation / secure their future in the face of rising prices. It all adds up and helps greatly.100% of any new donations goes straight to the project.
G.E.S.T.P. is providing young women in Sukuta with TVET vocational training (Technical and Vocational Education and Training). Currently operating out of rental premises, they are renovating an existing building into a multipurpose facility which will provide accessible education to young women in this and nearby communities.
According to the African Center for Economic Transformation, one-fifth of the global population under the age of 25 now resides in rapidly growing Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).
The region’s working-age population is expected to reach 600 million in 2030, with a youth share of 37%.
Located in the Kombo North District in Gambia, the town of Sukuta is severely impoverished with many young women lacking access to education. Unable to achieve financial independence, they end up with no option but to marry at an early age.
With the right education and vocational training, coupled with well-defined national development strategies and employment policies, Africa’s large and fast-growing youth population could be a great asset for development and provide a comparative advantage in world markets.
Over four months G.E.S.T.P. offers young women TVET vocational training, where they learn skills in tie-dying as well as commercial and business skills. This is a valuable alternative to university education, which can be too theoretical with no guarantee of getting a job, thereby providing a brighter future for them in employment or self-employment.
In June 2022 we saw 20 young women graduate from Cohort 1. Cohort 2 started its course in late 2022, consisting of 25 young women, hoping to graduate this March 2023.
Ultimately this project will become a self-sustaining program and expand to other communities. Plans are already in motion for a multipurpose centre, with space for classes, hands-on skills training, meetings, and cultural activities.
Together with project organiser Beverly Berndt, and the Village Development Committee of Sukuta, IRFF UK and particularly a team in the USA led by one of the IRFF trustees is working hard to raise funds to finance: Training and administration The graduation ceremony for Cohort 2 in July 2023 (with many local dignitaries in attendance) Buying the necessary materials for Cohort 3’s start.
June 2021 - thank you very much for your help to my community.December 2021 - thank you all for your tireless efforts in making this a success.
The girl’s enthusiasm is huge. They are very much happy to be part of this project.As of now, the project is going as expected and we are very much optimistic of a great success at the end of the four months.January 2022 - The money we are gathering from the little sales we are doing here is being kept in a separate account which the girls are the signatories to. We want to use that money as a revolving fund for them to start up their own businesses.June 2022 - thank you all for your outstanding support to the girls of my community and the whole community.
Starting the project: https://youtu.be/nRmeGTBTUQo20 out of 23 graduated in Cohort 1 – 3 will repeat the course.13th October, 2022 - had a meeting with the new girls in Cohort 2 and oriented them on what to expect during the period of the course.
November 2022 – thanks for the tie-dye fabric highlighted at a fashion show in Alabama. Our plan for this month is to take the girls to the Gambia National museum in order to get knowledge of the types of batik, tie and dye the ancient Gambians made. We will also have a trip to the forest to collect some leaves and tree barks to use as natural colours.
December 2022 - next week we shall visit Afrijula company with the girls like we did with the first cohort. Afrijula is a local company which is helping small scale businesses to advertise their business online and create market with their support.22 February 2022 (Facebook) - Join Us In Celebrating Musa Jaiteh, Gambian Tie Dye & Batik Fashion Artist Whose Work Was Featured On Hollywood's Award Winning Film; "The Woman King"!
Musa Jaiteh went from making his tie dye designs in his family compound in Sukuta; to having his fabric won on the global stage.Tie-dye has been a part of Gambian fashion for generations. Musa Jaiteh keeps the tradition alive by only using natural dyes from kola nuts and indigo; an art that he has perfected for 35 years.
Whilst artisans have been replacing natural ingredients for imported chemical dyes; Musa's natural and traditional techniques have taken his art to the world.
The girls are really the course which will give them a qualification, taught by the mist famous tie, dye and batik expert in Gambia.
They are also grateful for a loan they can use to start their own business.
£20 per month sponsors one trainee.
Would you like to help with £5 per month or even £10 per month – it all adds up and helps greatly.
100% of any new donations goes straight to the project.
SHINE is a basic literacy education project IRFF UK supports in Walmer, Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth), South Africa, which is a very poor area. SHINE operates out of two bright yellow containers on the grounds of Walmer Primary School, surrounded by a security fence recently funded by IRFF UK.
All of the projects IRFF UK supports are really important but this one is incredibly important since 81% of Grade 6 children in South Africa cannot read for meaning – which means:
they cannot learn anything from books or words written by a teacher in class.
South Africa is now the most unequal country in the world. Among 50 countries, South Africa fared the worst in literacy. The stats of 2016 Progress in International Reading Literacy (PIRLS) discovered that 8 out of 10 Grade 4 (9-10-year-olds) learners in South Africa cannot read for meaning.
Since the pandemic, learners have lost a year of schooling. Most are too poor to afford smartphones or Wi-Fi for online learning, and the school cannot photostat hundreds of sheets of work.
The only way out of poverty is education. The South African government recently recognised that children who do not learn to read properly, will likely not finish school – but are not able provide a solution – hence charitable initiatives like SHiNE.
As children are fast learners, we hope that by gaining the necessary tools to succeed such as reading, they can carry themselves out of their poverty.
According to the South African curriculum, learners must be taught in English from Grade 4 so SHINE takes the Grade 3 learners and immerses them in books and reading, with comprehension, in English. Many kids have not heard any English before.
For one hour at a time, one volunteer sits with 2 learners. The hour has 4 parts:
- 15 mins - an educational game (with anything using dice being the favourites)
- 15 mins - they read to us (the books reflect their lives)
- 15 mins - they write sentences (we use phonetic methods and we never correct their work but instead praise their brave efforts)
- 15 mins - they are exhausted now, so we read a book to them.
Supported by IRFF UK SHINE taught 60 such children in 2022.
The SHINE Teaching Centre also serves as a charity venue for learners needing stationery, academic resources, uniform items, medical assistance, emotional support and friendship.
IRFF UK sends funds every other month to help cover the costs of school books, ink cartridges for a printer, and school shoes and clothing for children.
“Your very generous sponsorship has made 2022 into the most successful year yet in our 9 years at Walmer Primary School! …Your sponsorship made long overdue repairs possible at our container centre… Your investment in our program is part of a warm and positive move forward in the dignity and hope of our upcoming generation. Thank you everyone at IRFF!”Initiatives like SHINE play a fundamental and meaningful role in our society.Pat Hippert – SHINE
Note mid-June: watch out for Pat’s coming report on the visit by SHINE Head Office and other business. It sounds like it went well.
£5 per month sponsors one child to receive literacy education.
The more we receive the more we can provide funds to be spent on school bags, clothing for pupils, stationery, food items,a small stipend for the local SHINE manageress.
100% of any new donations goes straight to the project.
The Slovo Study Group is studying online through UCT Online High School, following the South African Education Department’s CAPS (Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement).
The group is currently made up of 8 teenage students aiming to complete high school in Grade 12 (the maximum achievable grade in the South African school system). It is estimated that they will all achieve their Matric Certificate in no longer than 4 years from now.
Secondary education can be very poor on parts of South Africa and Gqeberha seems particularly badly hot by that problem. We hear from students that they learn very little in local state shools and would have little chance to meet their full potential without additional support.
Also the students all come from disadvantaged backgrounds where poverty abounds and often there is only one breadwinner per household. Furthermore, they experience frequent power cuts due to power station load-shedding.
Providing accessible education facilitates learning and supports young people in becoming independent. Young men and women have a chance to reach their full potential and be an asset to themselves but also their community and their country. South Africa needs well educated graduates.
In November 2022, the Slovo Group held a very successful Maths and Science Bootcamp. Although a costly exercise, most students needed assistance in these particular subjects to facilitate passing their exams.
During the two days, the students received support on the two subjects from tutors and educators from the local university. The educators provided an overview over two sessions and helped in addressing the students’ general issues. Each teenage student was then paired with a student from the local university, providing them with one-to-one support.
Due to frequent load-shedding power cuts, the Slovo Study Group needs financial support to enable online connectivity. IRFF UK has been funding around R4000 - R5000 of data per month to enable their continued online education.
We are all extremely grateful for everything we have been able to achieve as a result of your funding.Your support will keep the lights on for these students, allowing them to complete their studies and have brighter futures.
£25 per month sponsors one young person to receive a high quality secondary education.
The more we receive the more we can provide special workshops and trips for them.
100% of any new donations goes straight to the project.
A L'école Yonent Mame Ibrahima is a primary school in Dakar, Senegal. Founded by Ambroise and Delaila Diagne in order to realize a dream: peace and harmony built through tolerance, understanding, compassion and love.
According to UNESCO Institute of Statistics (UIS, 2018), a large proportion of children do not acquire basic reading, writing and numeracy skills due to inadequate learning opportunities available to them.
Providing access and opportunity to attend quality education in a safe environment where children can learn necessary life skills.
The children at this school are supported financially by regular donors in France, Belgium and the UK enabling them to continue to attend school.
Ongoing personal contact between sponsor and child is always encouraged and the annual visits provide a wonderful opportunity for each child to receive a gift pack assembled from items given and collected throughout the year.
The current crucial task is to extend to build a third floor which is currently under construction. This will enable more students to attend and a general expansion of the school.
In partnership with IRFF UK, a corporate sponsor in Manchester fully supports this project by passing funds to us. We then pass these directly to L'école Yonent Male Ibrahima.
Education can have a transformative impact on the lives of children in third-world countries. With an education, they can gain the skills and knowledge needed to break the cycle of poverty, contribute to their communities, and create a better future for themselves and their families.
Education can also lead to improved health outcomes, increased gender equality, and reduced rates of child marriage and other harmful practices. By investing in education for children in third-world countries, we can help build a brighter, more equitable world for everyone.