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Tag Archives: Education

Supporting The ECD Centers With Building Materials

Supporting The ECD Centers With Building Materials

APPCO’s community-building strategy is critical in advancing the idea of self-sufficient and sustainable community-based initiatives. The initiative was a follow-up to fill the gap within the ECD host schools that didn’t have facilities for the ECD program (These facilities included classroom blocks, toilet structures and a feeding program).

APPCO organized the parents and other community members to embark on the construction work. The parents availed their resources as part of their contribution to kick start the work. this intervention has encouraged the community to construct a permanent structure as they have realized the benefits of the ECD program. This is witnessed by a high number of turn-ups at the Centers. The community is eager and willing to participate in the construction project for more blocks to support the program ECD (Early Childhood Development).

 

DISTRIBUTION OF THE CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS

During the distribution event, APPCO invited parents, community leaders and the district officials to witness and representatives from all invited stakeholders were welcoming the initiative as they made positive remarks about the program.

“We like the strategy of first seeing what we can be able to do using our locally available resources with full support through continuous encouragements, monitoring, mentorship among others to make us self-reliant, sustaining and above all, owning our community initiatives.” One parent commented during the event that was organized to distribute building materials to the ECD centre that were under contraction.

The chairperson centre management committee (CMC) outlined all the activities APPCO has implemented at the ECD centre which included needs assessment of the ECD centre, constituting parents’ households into parent’s support groups, training of parents’ support groups on good agronomic practices, agricultural input distribution, building materials distribution among others. “Trust us even if we are told that the APPCO project is ending, we shall continue with the activities and the knowledge we have gained from APPCO for the sustainability of what we have started implementing. I am very proud to say from today, our ECD centre has classroom blocks under construction nearing completion, and we shall still as parents now start planning to construct more blocks for the primary section. ‘’ one of the parents said during the delivery of building materials.

By the launch of this event;

  1. The Community constructed permanent structures in the various centre that are needed by the ECD facility.
  2. The play up sessions are being conducted using the play up model guide for the ECD Facilitators and the play up model chart
  3. Children are feeding at school
  4. ECD centers has a permanent structure for the toilet
  5. Parents of the enrolled ECD children have formed groups and are receiving livelihood training and monitoring which will improve their yields and this will support the school feeding programme as well as household feeding and income.
  6. Psychosocial support sessions conducted with children and some parents

 ‘’it is one thing for an organization to implement a project in a specific community and another thing altogether for the community to realize the project impact, but we have already seen and felt the impact of APPCO’s different interventions in our community’’

900 vulnerable pupils benefited from scholastic materials in Mukono

900 vulnerable pupils benefited from scholastic materials in Mukono

To prevent having an impact on their schooling, young people need to understand and accept the physical and emotional changes to their bodies that occur as they mature, especially throughout puberty. They also need to learn how to manage these changes. Over 900 vulnerable pupils were given scholastic materials (books, mathematical sets, and, pens) with messages designed to instill self-love and awareness as a campaign to promote self-confidence and respect. These pupils had undergone a series of sessions within their school clubs which led to the need for the initiative. The school administrations welcomed and appreciated this initiative and thanked APPCO for the scholastic materials.

During the club mentorship sessions, pupils explore measures to obey and respect their parents, teachers, and elders in the community, taking care of their bodies during this period such as; ensuring good hygiene, eating a balanced diet, and keeping fit through physical exercises. For emotional support, avoid stigmatizing others, seek counselling and guidance, and accept as normal certain conditions. Teens were also mentored on how to select friends who will enable them to attain their future dreams with attributes such as those who are; kind, trustworthy, honest, forgiving, empathetic, respectful, good listening, supportive, etc.

Learning happy living through School clubs

The Age project in Mukono district addressed the issues of in-school girls and boys. Appco and its partner CBO organized school clubs in various schools around Mukono where children meet to discuss, share, and learn from themselves, school matrons and other facilitators that were organized to join the sessions. Among these clubs included health, human rights, etc. These Clubs are created to impart knowledge of self-awareness, health, human rights, self-control and many other topics. “The children are always happy to participate in these club sessions. They organize themselves earlier even before the facilitators

Schooling Children at Home During Covid-19 Lockdown – Lamwo District

Keeping Children in School While They're at Home during Covid-19 Lockdown

Our Early Childhood Development initiative in the Lamwo district modified its strategy of operations from a classroom environment to a community setting as a result of the COVID-19 lockdown, which resulted from the closure of schools. This emergency response choice led to APPCO and the community leaders to identify people inside their communities to lead the community ECD centres. ECD facilitators were the name given to these groups of persons.

The ECD facilitators are the link between APPCO and the communities. They hold sessions at the communities’ homesteads where children between 0-8years from the neighbourhood participate in various play and learning activities. The initiative is designed to encourage youngsters to value education while they are at home and to look forward to when schools reopen.

The impact of this method was felt throughout the communities, as evidenced by the high turnout and testimony from parents who reported various good changes in their children’s behavior as a result of attending the sessions.

IMPROVING FACILITATOR MOVEMENT

Because of the great distances between these centres, ECD facilitators were given bicycles to help them get to and from them. All the members were enthusiastic about this effort and praised APPCO for taking it.