A.BACKGROUND
The current outbreak of violence in South Sudan, has threatened the livelihood of people, disrupted education for many children and has imperiled both women, youth and elderly groups in improving their standard of living which were focused on agro-business and skills transfer. Currently, due to the intensified fighting in July 2016 to date, the UNHCR reported that an estimated 37,000 South Sudanese refugees within the last six (6) Months arrived in Uganda and they consist mainly of women, children and elderly.
South Sudan is believed to have the worst literacy rate in the world, worse than Mali and Niger, which were the only ones close.” This is according to Jessica Hjarrand, an education specialist at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Though the 2005 peace deal that has resulted in the 2011 secession of South Sudan established many schools in South Sudan, the country is still struggling to build an education system for millions of her young and to educate the millions of adults who missed out on school during the war.
There are not enough schools and certainly not enough qualified teachers, as most of the teachers in South Sudan’s basic public schools are primary school leavers. Nonetheless, the quality of instruction is poor, because teachers do not know how to manage a classroom. They do not know how to manage students’ different needs in the classroom, let alone the content area and the skills one is supposed to be passing down through education.
Although the government of South Sudan together with the NGOs has made a considerable effort in investing in education by providing free education in public schools for children, recruiting teachers and establishing a curriculum through the national Ministry of Education, serious challenges daunt everyone involved in meeting global standards of education in South Sudan.
The growth of the population in rural areas like Abara outpaces its infrastructure. Communities like ours of Abara suffer from school overcrowding, poor sanitation, and unemployment. In fact, as the literacy, information Communication Technology, and education levels rise in the country, so does the demand for improved learning environments in the rural areas. Hence, by increasing and improving the educational facilities, Mama Hellen Lotara Nursery and Primary School assists in the development of not only Abara’s leaders but the country’s future leaders.
B. IMPORTANCE OF ESTABLISHING A FOUNDATION TO SUPPORT EDUCATION AND LIVELIHOOD SKILLS DEVELOPMENT
Looking at the practical experiences of ravages of War by the citizens for many years particularly during the two main Civil Wars of 1955 to 1972 lasted for 17 years and the second ones from 1983 to 2005 that took 21 years. Now followed by the current ongoing ones which erupted at the end of 2013 and intensifies in July 2016 to date. This current war has really once more disrupted not only the livelihood of the citizens but also interfere adversely with children’s’ education as a Human Rights aspect of life in addition to the fact that 72% of the population is composed of young people. The category of young people if not address yet most of the youth, missed access to education due the two decades of war either because their parents never took them outside the Country or were forced to join the warring parties at the front line to fight, so they lose the opportunity for regular education. Thus, if the needs of such groups are not addressed, with the continued trauma of war and the accompanying frustrations of war, would make such youth to become a source of insecurity whether within the Country or even in Refugees camps; because they could easily be convinced by any of the warring parties to join them in the struggle. For instance, the current on-going instability in the Country (South Sudan) has resulted in massive displacement from the Country, most of those displaced are children, youth, women and the elderly. Some of the children from Mama Hellen Lotara Nursery and Primary Schools alike other children got displaced and are at the Refugees camp in Uganda either with their parents and or guidance while others are an accompanied minors. Therefore, acknowledging that brighter future of any individuals relies on education and improved economic status of a family depend also on addition livelihood skills attained for income generation to facilitates other needs of the family. This implies the need to address such challenges to ensure their active responsiveness in overcoming to the general situations. Nonetheless, some of the families or individuals have lost all their belongs as they run for the safety of their lives, let alone dealing with the trauma of war without anyone to lean on. So establishing the Foundation would address some of the school requirements and in close consultation with the Youths and women would make it possible to identify training needs for livelihood skills Development to both which eventual could avail them opportunities for establishing income generating activities.
C. Goals
1.Avail opportunity for brighter children at and or from Mama Hellen Lotara Schools who are displaced by providing school requirements partially or fully depending on the child family situations or background.
2.Develop training tools in livelihood skills development for Youth and Women to facilitate income generating Projects.
3.Develop and support early childhood teachers’ training for Mama Hellen Lotara Schools.
4.Identify and train potential teachers in the Refugees camp who wish to join the teaching profession at Mama Hellen Lotara Schools.
5.Provide Counselling and career guidance services to those traumatised by war and or are in need.
6.Access the Standards of pupils’ education performance and provide correct textbooks and educational materials to Mama Hellen Lotara Schools for quality education.
7.All assessments and evaluations of students will be conducted by or in partnership with an expertise in students’ education with their parents.
8.Assist in the construction of school premises for classrooms, administration block, Boarding Section, teachers’ residential quarters and provide any other necessary types of equipment to facilitate teaching at Mama Hellen Lotara Schools.
9.Support school farms at Mama Hellen Lotara Schools and in the Community where applicable.
D. Vision
•The Foundation is committed to quality education to all as a Human Rights for students to be good Leaders in the dynamic world of technology regardless of their sex, race, beliefs, disabilities, religion and or political affiliations
•Encourage students initiatives, creativity, ambitions, project-based learning, social and emotional learning, access to new technology such as a computer where all students and parents, teachers and administrators, policy makers and people are empowered or correlate together for the shared vision.
E. Missions
The Foundation is dedicated to transforming kindergarten throughout the Primary to Senior Secondary School for all the students being supported in the said schools until maturity for better future of individual’ students.
F. Objectives
1.To provide an opportunity for quality education, right from early childhood to Senior Secondary education as a Human Rights aspect.
2.To build a strong foundation in education to every child regardless of sex and or disability.
3.To guide a child towards career development and enhance self-confidence for professionalism.
4..To give equal opportunity to every child as leaders of tomorrow in the Society.
5.To support Women and Youth towards sustainable development in the dynamic World.
6.To build confident in every individual towards good Leadership, be a team player and acceptance of each other.
G. Core values
•Leadership- we strive for good leaders in the community and Nation at large by encouraging innovations and creativity in educational programs for good Governance.
•Integrity – we maintain the highest level of organisational integrity in our relationships with educators, students, parents, donors, authorities and other members of the community.
•A culture of Excellence – we collaborate with authority and schools in the area of operation to provide a healthy, challenging learning environment that engages students and builds upon students individual learning styles and distinct abilities.
•Community Engagement – Promote Community awareness about the need of education, encourage afforestation in the Community and collaborate with other organizations to assist in achieving our Missions.
H. Target Groups
The Foundation will mainly focus on Education and skill Development for Children, Youth and Women Capacity Building:
• Education
Children early childhood education all through Senior Secondary School is a fundamental Basic Human Rights for every child and is mandatory that it’s to be accorded to ensure equal contributions for National Development from every Citizen.
•Youth Skills Development
Most Youths in the Republic of South Sudan have never gotten the opportunity for regular education either because they had joint the armed struggle that had gone for two decades and a continues insecurity or their parents could not have taken them for refuge elsewhere; made them not to have such opportunity.
Therefore, they are easily used or deceived by either of the warring groups to join them and so the Youth becomes a source of insecurity because of idleness.
In this regards, introducing or exposing the Youth to employability skills would avail the opportunity of being a productive Citizen that would contribute effectively to the Development of a Nation.
•Women Skills Development
Most Women in South Sudan especially who remained within the Country throughout the two decades or so years of Civil war and the continues man-made crises have resulted in women to be the single hand individual family breadwinners in addition to taking their children to safe place. Girl-child on the other hand,s would be looked at as immediate helper to the mother to take care of her siblings and so would compromise their ultimate Rights to basic Education.
Providing capacity and or life skills to the women would empower and enhance their efficiency and effectiveness in performing the added responsibilities. This should help them contribute effectively in nation-building.
I. Education – Criteria for Beneficiary’s selection and Teachers’ Training Opportunities
- The Foundation shall provide 60% of the school requirements for a well academic performing pupils or students in the schools established as part of Mama Hellen Lotara Schools.
2.The Foundation shall cover 75% of the school requirements for an orphan pupil or student whose background is established and performing well academically in schools establish as part of Mama Hellen Lotara Schools.
3.The Foundation shall also provide 50% of school requirements to at least one pupil or student whose parent or guardian has more than three pupils or students in schools established as part of Mama Hellen Lotara Schools and the parent or guardian for the whole academic year has fulfilled their school obligation without any outstanding balance.
4.To ensure academic excellence in all the schools established as part of Mama Hellen Lotara Schools, the Foundation shall support the establishment and Financing of Teachers Training College for early childhood Human Resource enhancement.
5.The Foundation shall encourage girl-child education by providing them with the necessary sanitary requirement in addition to sponsorship for academic excellence.
J. Requirement for Youth and Women Skills Development
1.Both cases of Youth and Women has to be a recognized Groups or must get organize before benefiting from the skills training or provided with finance as a startup capital.
2.The Youth or Women groups has to identify their area of needs and or activities with clear goals to be achieved within the identified timeframe.
3.The Foundation shall provide training and business development to Youth and Women for skills development.
4.The Foundation shall provide training materials in addition to startup capital.
5.The Foundation shall assist in finding Markets for sales of product of both Youth and Women Groups elsewhere i.e. the Foundation could buy from the groups.
6.The Foundation shall identify and connect both the groups of Youth and Women to other potential donors as well as to other international groups of the same business categories for the exchange of experiences and ideas.
K. Livelihood Skills Development
•South Sudan among other natural resources is rich in Land which is so fertile for agriculture; in this regards, the Foundation shall support or mainly encourage large scale farming for the Community, so as to enhance food security and improve the economic status of various groups.
•The Foundation shall encourage the groups to develop African Arts and Crafts, for the purpose of exposing the products resulting from this indulgence, to the international market.
