Education

Sanitation & the Rwakobo Pit Latrine Project

In February 2025, Speakers for Africa completed a critical pit latrine for the children of Rwakobo Primary School—an area where overflowing and collapsed toilets had forced students to use nearby bushes. This created dangerous health risks, especially for young girls.

Our new pit latrine brought dignity, safety, and proper sanitation back to the school. Today, students have a clean, private, and reliable place to use the bathroom—an essential foundation for health, attendance, and learning.

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​Uganda’s education system is deeply affected by inadequate sanitation. Studies show that in some towns, only 46% of schools have basic water services, 44% have basic sanitation, and just 26% meet basic hygiene standards. Nationally, more than 24 million Ugandans lack safe drinking water and 29 million lack improved sanitation, contributing to major challenges in schools. Poor menstrual hygiene alone leads to nearly a 10% drop in girls’ education, with research showing girls miss 28% of school-days during their periods compared to 7% on non-period days, and almost 10% miss at least one day of school every month because they lack proper supplies or facilities. With primary schools averaging 71 students per latrine—well above the national standard of 40—students face unsafe, overcrowded, and undignified conditions that directly impact attendance and learning.

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Speakers for Africa began its agriculture work with a simple start: providing seeds to the Uganda Youth Aid School. That small beginning has grown into a thriving student-led farming initiative. The school now raises its own crops, improving nutrition, reducing costs, and strengthening long-term food independence.

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A key part of our approach is our team of Youth Ambassadors, who teach other students sustainable farming practices. We’ve learned that children respond far better to fellow young Ugandans than to adults, making peer-driven education one of our most effective strategies.

Today, Speakers for Africa has 147 acres ready for farming—land that will allow us to expand crop production, increase food access, and support the schools and communities we serve.

Support our Female Hygiene Program and help ensure girls have what they need to attend school every day, without interruption.

At Speakers for Africa, we believe no girl should miss a single school day simply because she’s menstruating. In Uganda, many young girls lack access to dependable sanitary supplies, safe disposal facilities, and the private, clean space they need. This gap leads to missed classes, lost confidence, and reduced school completion.
With our Female Hygiene Program, we provide sanitary pads, underwear, education on menstrual health and hygiene practices, and work to ensure the school facilities include disposal bins and private changing spaces. By doing so, we help girls stay in school, engage in lessons, and focus on their future.
Because with the right support, these girls can flourish academically, socially, and emotionally—rather than being held back by a natural biological process.

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A UNESCO report estimated that about 1 in 10 girls in sub-Saharan Africa miss school during their menstruation. World Bank Blogs+2Wikipedia+2Additional research shows the pooled prevalence of menstrual-related school absenteeism is around 15 %.

At Speakers for Africa, we believe that sport is a powerful tool for empowerment, health, and leadership. Yet in Uganda, girls face significant barriers to participation—cultural norms, limited resources, and low representation—in a system where just 28.5% of athletes are female. By providing volleyball and soccer programs specifically for young girls, we open doors to confidence, teamwork, discipline, and community.
Our program supplies equipment (balls, nets, cleats), helps form girls’ teams, organizes tournaments, and employs mentors who are young Ugandan women athletes themselves. These role-models demonstrate what is possible, encourage retention, and foster peer support. Every training session, every match, every goal builds more than skill—it builds vision.
Through this program, we invest in the next generation of women leaders, athletes, and change-makers—on and off the field.

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According to research on gender equity in Ugandan sports: only about 28.5 % of athletes in Uganda’s competitive sports are female. Academia+2Makerere Repository+2

Boys’ soccer is one of the strongest pathways to leadership development in the schools we support. In Uganda, sports offer structure, discipline, teamwork, and positive mentorship—skills that directly translate into leadership inside and outside the classroom. When boys join a soccer team, they learn responsibility, collaboration, goal-setting, and how to support others, all while gaining confidence through consistent practice and competition. For many students, the soccer field becomes the first place they discover their strengths, build resilience, and see themselves as future leaders in their communities. Through providing uniforms, equipment, coaching, and organized matches, Speakers for Africa helps young boys grow not only as athletes, but as responsible, motivated leaders.

Dance is a vital and celebrated part of Ugandan culture, woven into daily life, ceremonies, storytelling, and community identity. We believe dance is also a pathway to education. When children participate in cultural dance, they build confidence, discipline, teamwork, and emotional expression—skills that directly support learning in the classroom. Dance strengthens memory, improves focus, and provides a positive outlet that keeps students engaged in school. By honoring this cultural tradition and integrating it into youth programs, we use dance not only to preserve heritage but also to inspire leadership, encourage attendance, and open doors to educational opportunity.