1. Uganda’s experience in using Good Schools Toolkit 1

2. Overview Ugandan context Raising Voices
Violence against children in Uganda
Good Schools Toolkit
How is the Toolkit used to prevent violence against children and promote a safe learning environment?

3. Ugandan Context: Current population estimated at 33 Million People2
Ugandan Context:
Current population estimated at 33 Million People
52% of the population is below the age of 18
Refugees live among host communities in urban and rural areas
Number of refugees and asylum seekers is currently 204,000 (DRC, Somalia, Rwanda, South Sudan)
A fivefold increase in the number of urban refugees: 48,000

4. Raising Voices 2
NGO working to prevent violence against women and children in Uganda formed in 1999
Interventions are based on prevention
Violence against children work in schools through promotion of Good Schools toolkit

5. Education in Uganda
Free universal Primary Education was introduced in 1997
Since the 2006 Refugee Act all refugee children have free access to education
Refugees have access to Ugandan schools. No separate schools for refugees
Drop-out rates are high: only 23% complete 7 years of education
Quality of schools and learning environment are generally poor to allow meaningful learning for children

6. Violence against children in Uganda
Violence against children is common: at school, at home and in communities
2005 Raising Voices and Save the Children study: 98% of children reported physical or emotional violence, 76% of the 1400 children interviewed reported experiencing sexual abuse
A significant number of children reported experiencing the violence at least once a week or more

7. Why are so many children dropping out of schools?5
Why are so many children dropping out of schools?
Over 48% of children who dropped out between 1997 and 2003 attributed it to violence against children
A wide range of communities do not value boys and girls equally regarding access and retention in schools
Most focus/ budgetary allocation is on physical infrastructure, recruiting more teachers, providing instructional materials but not exploring software interventions that improve children’s experience of school

8. Good Schools Toolkit Good and motivated teachers6
Good and motivated teachers
Safe and respectful learning environment
Accountable and transparent school administration
Schools engaged in a six step phased change process over a period of months

9. Good schools objective
A Good School aims to create a violence-free learning environment within which students develop their skills and confidence to grow into creative, constructive and thoughtful members of their community.

10. Six Steps Step 1: your team and network Step 2: preparing for change
Step 3: good teachers and teaching
Step 4: positive discipline
Step 5: good learning environment
Step 6: good administration and the future

17. Key activities – Good Schools7
Key activities – Good Schools
Used in 500 schools including refugee children in Uganda, some Kenyan and Tanzanian schools have started experimenting the ideas
Working with children as agents of change to prevent violence in their schools: Active and responsive children committees
Teacher engagement on alternative ways of disciplining children and creating meaningful relationships with learners: Positive Discipline Handbook, What is a Good teacher, what is a safe learning environment……
Relationship building with school administration to collaboratively develop and support zero tolerance to violence against children

18. Key activities – Good Schools
Local Activism: Promoting community dialogues through community events
Every school term: developing Good Schools action plan involving teachers, children and community members
Similar interventions for urban and rural schools
Key emphasis on cost: simple activities that don’t require huge financial investments: Just imagination and creativity to strive something extra ordinary
Good Schools peer learning network
Activities for promoting Children’s voice in schools

19. Thank you!

20. Good School Toolkit Innovation/Rollout7