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.
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.
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 (see timeline below) 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.
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.
General knowledge enhances 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 Skills Hub, Cohort 2 consisting of seven girls, is now being taught pastry/cake decoration, bread making and dressmaking from early 2023. Cohort 1 of a similar project was completed last year when four girls graduated.
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.
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.
Hope for Children aims to ultimately become self-sufficient through projects such as running a bakery and crafting and selling metal tools.
Last year IRFF UK supported Hope for Children with crisis aid
During the first half of 2022, the children fell ill with the flu, fevers and later typhoid, so we provided £657 to cover the cost of medicines.In response to the M23 emergency, we sent £770 in aid to purchase food supplies.
IRFF UK additionally covered £420 worth of costs in August 2022 for school supplies for the new academic year. Supporting Hope for Children in ultimately becoming financially independent.
Although we have a contingency reserve, there are no dedicated funds available specifically for Hope for Children.
Your support will enable this project to become self-sustainable as 100% of funds directly received will go straight to ‘Hope for Children’.
G.E.S.T.P. is providing young women in Sukata 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 Bernt, and the Village Development Committee of Sukuta, IRFF UK is working hard to raise funds to finance:
Training and administrationThe graduation ceremony of Spring 2023 (with many local dignitaries in attendance)Buying the necessary materials for Cohort 3’s start
Your support will facilitate more young Gambian women to take control of their own futures and become financially independent, no longer needing to marry in order to survive.
SHINE is a 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.
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 said that children who do not learn to read properly, will likely not finish school. 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!”
Pat Hippert - SHINE
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.
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.
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 the test series.
In response to IRFF UK’s support, the Slovo Group’s project manager wrote:
“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.
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 this 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.