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Driving educational change by engaging the local community

6 January 2025

Interview Learning & Education Development Teaching methods Learning environments Parenting and childcare

With community support, learners in remote and underserved areas can thrive

Photo provided by Building Tomorrow

It is affirming and inspiring to see local community leaders driving real change in foundational learning for so many learners, says Innocent Akampurira of the community-powered organization Building Tomorrow. Innocent talks with Aisha Schnellmann about how community engagement supports the education of children in remote and underserved areas of Sub-Saharan Africa. 

Aisha Schnellmann: What are the biggest challenges facing children in Sub-Saharan Africa?

Innocent Akampurira: Learning poverty is a major challenge – especially in Sub-Saharan Africa, where nine out of ten children are unable to read and understand a simple text by the age of ten. In Uganda, where our work is focused, more than 83% of primary school children – about 7.3 million kids – lack basic reading and math skills. Without these foundational skills, many children struggle to advance to the next grade, are at risk of dropping out of school, and may have only limited academic and employment opportunities in the future.

“Learning poverty is a major challenge.”

Sub-Saharan Africa is also grappling with a massive teacher shortage, estimated at 15 million teachers. Additionally, parental engagement in education is often low and community resources that might support learning in last-mile communities remain underutilized. In these environments, there is an opportunity for locally designed solutions to tackle these issues head-on.    

AS: What do children need to help them thrive?

IA: If children are to thrive, they need the opportunity to learn how to read and do simple math. Mastering these key skills is transformative, since they provide a foundation for continued learning as children progress through school. To fully benefit from these skills, children also need a supportive learning environment and encouragement from their communities.

“Children also need a supportive learning environment and encouragement from their communities.”

AS: How is the work of Building Tomorrow helping children?

IA: At Building Tomorrow, we are addressing the learning crisis by teaching foundational literacy and numeracy skills to un- and under-schooled learners through our Roots to Rise program. Inspired by the Teaching at the Right Level approach, the program offers targeted, interactive camps for primary school learners. These camps are coordinated by Ugandan university graduates who have been trained as Building Tomorrow Fellows and are working with local stakeholders to prepare teachers and Community Education Volunteers to run our camps, which are held in schools as well as community spaces. The Roots to Rise program focuses on learners’ abilities rather than their age, and it employs inclusive teaching methods including Universal Design for Learning techniques.

Since 2018, we have reached over 500,000 learners. In 2023, 73% of learners were able to read a paragraph by the end of the camp; that was true of just 11% at the start. And 33% were able to perform basic math, up from less than 1%.  

AS: Can you tell us about something that has inspired you in this work?

IA: I have been inspired by the incredible effectiveness of our Community Education Volunteers. They played a vital role during COVID by running remedial camps in public spaces during Uganda’s school closures, which lasted longer than anywhere else in the world.

Today these volunteers are central to our impact. In 2023 alone, they led 4,641 community-based camps, reaching 120,294 learners. Their dedication is a testament to the power of community-led solutions. One such volunteer is Naisanga Allen, a farmer who dedicated her time to facilitate camps in the Kamuli District village of Bugondha, which seek to keep children out of child labor. It is both affirming and inspiring to see these local community leaders driving real change in foundational learning for so many learners.

AS: What is your vision for children in the future?

IA: I hope that the children we are reaching now will become Uganda’s next generation of social impact leaders, benefiting from quality education and championing learning for others.