• vital roots
• May 3, 2025

Kashasha Community Primary School stands as a beacon of hope in Kashasha village, located near the Nakivale Refugee settlement in Western Uganda. Established in 2023 with a mere 10 students, it has rapidly grown to serve 120 eager learners, a testament to the community’s yearning for education. These children, walking up to 10 kilometers daily from surrounding villages and the refugee settlement, represent the future of this region. Yet, this increasing hope is on the edge of falling due to circumstances that demand immediate attention.

A recent visit by the Vital Roots Initiative team led by the team leader Mr. Ssali Ogwal laid bare the severe realities faced by Kashasha Community Primary School. Imagine 120 young minds crammed into just two structures housing seven classes, guided by a mere two full- time teachers and a dedicated local councilor who volunteers his time. The school operates on a shift system due to the severe lack of classrooms, forcing children to return home during lunch and another group to take over in the afternoon – a clear disruption to their learning and development.

Beyond the inadequate infrastructure and staffing, the fundamental needs of these children are not being met. There are no school-provided meals, leaving hungry students struggling to concentrate. Shockingly, the school lacks its own toilet facility, forcing them to share a community latrine.

Perhaps the most pressing issue is the lack of a safe and reliable water source. The entire community, including the schoolchildren, relies on a nearby lake, a water body shared with wildlife from Lake Mburo National Park – zebras, hippos, and even crocodiles pose a constant threat. Alarmingly, this lake, a tributary of Lake Mburo, often disappears for months, leaving the community with no water source whatsoever. The consequences are severe: frequent cases of malaria due to surrounding swamps and typhoid from using contaminated water plague the children.

The cycle of poverty further magnifies these challenges. Many parents struggle to pay the modest school fees of 26,000 Ugandan Shillings per term. This financial strain hinders the school’s ability to recruit qualified teachers, procure essential learning materials, and provide the much-needed meals for the students. The headteacher piercingly shared that some parents, disheartened by the school’s limitations, choose to keep their children at home. The prolonged drought has also led to increased alcohol consumption among parents, creating further instability in the children’s lives.

Despite these overwhelming obstacles, the community remains hopeful. The school possesses an undeveloped acre of land, a blank canvas with the potential to house new classrooms and a safe water supply. The school administration, though lacking a clear long-term vision due to their isolation, desperately seeks intervention to improve the learning environment and overall well-being of their students. They believe that with adequate facilities, enrolment will surge as more parents recognize the value of sending their children to a school that can truly nurture their potential.

The existing classrooms are bare, lacking sufficient furniture, scholastic materials, and the necessary teaching resources. The challenges are multifaceted and interconnected: absence of sanitary facilities, inadequate water supply, insufficient classrooms and learning materials, understaffing, lack of a feeding program, and the financial struggles of both the school and the parents.

The team from Vital Roots Initiative witnessed firsthand the resilience of the students and the dedication of the limited staff. They also observed the community’s resourcefulness in the face of adversity. However, it is clear that their efforts alone are not enough.

Kashasha Community Primary School is not just a school; it is the heart of this community, a symbol of their aspiration for a brighter future. Failing to address the urgent needs of this institution will have profound and lasting consequences on the lives of these vulnerable children and the entire community.
We, therefore, issue an urgent call to action. Kashasha Community Primary School requires immediate assistance to:

• Construct adequate classrooms and provide furniture to accommodate all students and eliminate the disruptive shift system.
• Establish a safe and reliable water source to protect the health and well-being of the children and the community.
• Build proper sanitary facilities to ensure a healthy learning environment.
• Support a school feeding program to combat hunger and improve students’ concentration and attendance.
• Provide adequate scholastic materials and teaching resources to enhance the quality of education.
• Facilitate the recruitment and fair compensation of qualified teachers to ensure effective instruction.
• Implement community engagement and parental livelihood programs to support families and improve school fee payment rates.

The potential within the students of Kashasha Community Primary School is immense. By investing in their education and well-being, we are not just transforming individual lives; we are empowering an entire community and fostering sustainable development in the region. Let us not stand by while this beacon of hope flickers. Let us act now and provide the urgent help that Kashasha Community Primary School so desperately needs.

We urge individuals, organizations, and philanthropists to join us in supporting Kashasha Community Primary School. Your contribution, no matter the size, can make a tangible difference in the lives of these children. Please contact us via the email info@vitalrootsinitiative.org or +256740512160 to learn more about how you can get involved and help us provide a brighter future for the students of Kashasha.