HCASSC has officially launched its expanded Education Support Initiative across three districts in rural Uganda — Nsanje, Chikwawa, and Phalombe — bringing renewed hope to communities where access to quality schooling has long been limited by poverty, flooding, and a shortage of trained teachers.
The programme, funded through partnerships with Catholic Relief Services and the European Union, covers the reconstruction and furnishing of six primary school blocks, the training of 42 community teachers, and the provision of learning materials including textbooks, exercise books, and mathematical sets for over 500 enrolled pupils. A dedicated girl-child retention component offers sanitary support and safe spaces to reduce school dropout among adolescent girls.
"Education is the single most powerful tool we can give a child," said HCASSC Executive Director Sr. Anunciata Mendes. "Every classroom we rebuild, every teacher we train, is an investment in the next generation of Uganda's leaders."
The initiative also includes a school feeding programme, providing one nutritious meal per school day to all enrolled children — directly improving attendance rates which had fallen as low as 54% in the most affected areas. Early results show attendance climbing to over 80% within the first month of operation.
HCASSC plans to extend the programme to two additional districts by mid-2025, with the goal of reaching 1,200 children across Uganda's southern region.
