The Education Support Program has been the flagship program of the Foundation since 1999 when it started its operations in Uganda. This program aims to provide educational support to bright but vulnerable children and youth through full scholarships up to advanced level of education.
The program is implemented across the country through a network of volunteers in the respective communities. Activities under this program include among others; Sponsorship which involves identification and recruitment of beneficiaries, identification of partner schools and placement of beneficiaries in those schools, payment of fees and scholastic materials, monitoring of the academic performance, general welfare and progress of selected beneficiaries. Other activities include; Life Skills Training, Parent Sensitization, Home and School visits.
For one to qualify for selection into this program, the prospective beneficiary’s academic performance and the level of vulnerability is assessed. They must exhibit high potential and show ability and desire to continue with education. The Foundation provides holistic Education Sponsorship with different packages it provides to beneficiaries at all levels to enable them live better.
12.3%
increased in the transition rate from P7 to S1 from in the period 2007 to 2015
Current context analysis
Activities under Education Support Programme include;
Currently, the sponsorship program provides scholarships in the selected partner education institutions and is consistent on following up with the performance of the child at every education level. This allows the foundation to keep the performance of the child at an excellent level for the child to excel. Our policy allows one sponsorship per child per household because the foundation wishes to have as many members of the homes across the country to benefit.
The sponsorship program targets those in primary schools with good performance as stipulated by its policy. The scholarship eligibility is further extended to those pursuing the Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE), Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (UACE) or those who opt for Vocational schools training. After attainment of UACE or its equivalent, the Foundation provides a study loan scheme/ facility to those beneficiaries who performed well but need support to further their studies at tertiary level.
For continued support, beneficiaries must maintain excellent academic achievement. Given the foundations’ strict adherence to good academic performance, the Foundation shall consistently monitor this on a termly/semester basis. Children with dropping grades are served with warning letters and put under strict observance. Those who persistently do not perform are discontinued from the program.
Activities under Sponsorship includes; identification and recruitment of beneficiaries, identification of partner schools and placement of beneficiaries in those schools, payment of fees and scholastic materials, monitoring of the academic performance, general welfare and progress of selected beneficiaries.
Identify target beneficiaries
Lidner Uganda Foundation Staff on a home visit to identify target beneficiaries
Lindner Foundation Uganda depends on its network of recruited Volunteers and other stake holders to identify children living in high-risk circumstances. The first requisite criterion is Academic Brilliance of the child, the vulnerability of this bright child in that household and then the incapability of the child’s parent to cater for some of the basic school needs and shelter. This is done by accessing their source of income and assessing the domestic peace and stability in the home, among others.
Tertiary loan Scheme
The Foundation right from the inception was providing full Education Sponsorship to the target beneficiaries. However effective academic year 2013/2014, the Board of Directors of Lindner Foundation Uganda decided to transform the sponsorship of tertiary education into an interest free Study Loan Scheme. This is limited to only Foundation Beneficiaries who wished to continue with studies at tertiary level and have obtained the cut off points as set by the Foundation from time to time. The rationale for the tertiary study loan scheme is to instill a sense of responsibility and integrity among the beneficiaries in meeting their obligations as they grow into adulthood.
Boarding house
Lindner Foundation Uganda has a boarding facility that aims at providing an enabling environment to children coming from homes/ families that are very vulnerable and are rated highly risky for the children to have full support. The facility which has housed 284 children (141 boys and 143 girls) since 2009 has been in enhancing performance of the sponsored children. This housing facility provides hospitality, support and conducive study environment to an average of 50 supported children, per year coming from highly disadvantaged homes with severe domestic challenges that pose a risk to better learning.
The boarding house among others aims at:
- Improving the quality of life of the beneficiaries through the provision of care, psycho-social support and education guidance.
- Encouraging participation of the care taker and administration in educational programs, as well as reinforcement of good behavior, personal hygiene, household chores which all aim at reinforcing each person’s individuality and self-efficiency.
- Empowering personal development, skills and abilities of beneficiaries by developing emotional intelligence and mental well being through educational stories, music, dance, and board games.
- Developing and maintaining of the relationship with the community, Imparting hands-on skills that equip children with knowledge to develop ideas on usable items in day-to-day lives.
Lindner Foundation Uganda develops the soft skills of the sponsored children and youth through life skills training. This is one of the core objectives of the Foundation aimed at supporting children and youth to grow into well-functioning adults with a goal of imparting critical and creative thinking skills, decision-making skills, effective communication skills, as well as skills for developing healthy relationships and self-reliance.
The Foundation has over the years developed a supervision and monitoring program that focuses on embedding mentorship to address performance challenges of pupils and students by integrating the parents/guardians in all activities so that they appreciate their roles in the education and welfare of their children.
This has enabled beneficiaries explore options and discover solutions to their academic performance with support from the parents/guardians. Parents have also been pivotal in guiding the organization through challenging situations and in identifying the best resolutions.
Monitoring Visits
Monitoring visits to schools and homes are often conducted to assess learners’ academic performance and their living conditions. This enables the foundation to assess the child’s performance and also continued assessment of their vulnerability.
This includes the following;
School Visitations: These visits include discussions with the School Administration on the conduct and discipline of the students, attendance and a discussion on academic performance as well as general development of a child.
Home Visits: The Foundation regularly conducts home visits to the beneficiaries’ homes to evaluate their living conditions. It is from these home visits that the Foundation decides on which beneficiaries to accommodate either at the Foundation’s boarding house or in boarding schools.
