ChildFund Uganda and USAID’s Integrated Child and Youth Development Activity partner to improve literacy among learners

ChildFund Uganda and the USAID Integrated Child and Youth Development (ICYD) Activity have entered a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to help young learners improve their skills in early grade reading.

The MOU, signed by Moses Otai, the country director ChildFund Uganda and Dr Eileen Mokaya, the chief of party USAID ICYD at their offices in Nakawa this Monday (May 8, 2023) will also promote other key areas of Gender Based Violence Prevention, Youth Skilling and Orphans and Vulnerable Children Programming.

This is premised on the fact that both organizations recognize significant potential synergies in designing and implementing approaches aimed at improving economic opportunity for vulnerable and underserved populations.

“The majority of our children at the end of Primary Two cannot read. UWEZO studies further show that there are also children in Primary Seven who cannot read, and this situation did not start now,” Mokaya said.

She called for the need to provide additional material to enable children learn how to practice reading.

Acknowledging the problem, Otai said for a child to be intentional in learning and to be self-driven, they have to be nurtured to do so, adding that sometimes the environment in which children live may lead to them dropping out from school.

? am optimistic that this collaboration will enable all actors working in the children space, to play their role to make things better for children,’’ he said.

ChildFund Uganda currently supports a total of 103 primary schools with both soft and hardware. These among others include supporting teachers to improve their competence through training, provision of water and sanitation services as well as construction and stocking of libraries.

Areas of collaboration

USAID ICYD and ChildFund will collaborate in advancing early-grade reading, school-related Gender Based Violence (SRGBV) prevention, youth skilling and programs for orphans and youths.

The yearlong partnership will see ChildFund and USAID ICYD work in 13 overlapping districts to distribute reading instructional materials for foundation classes, print and distribute supplementary reading material including local language and English medium story books and levelled story cards.

Other areas of collaboration include conducting; community dialogues on SRGBV prevention related activities in the overlapping districts working with School Management Committees, Parents Teachers Associations, and local community structures such as Local Councils Parishes and Sub Counties and Districts.

The MOU will also support SRGBV community-based case management to strengthen the referral system using reporting, tracking, referral and response guidelines through platforms established early warning committees and district vacation centers as well as youth trained by USAID ICYD who are also on ChildFund program to transition.

Both organizations will identify capacity-strengthening areas for the participants at different value chain levels.

Brief Profiles.

ChildFund International is an international development organization that helps children who experience deprivation, exclusion, and vulnerability, build their capacity to improve their lives to become young adults, parents and leaders who bring lasting and positive change in their communities.

The USAID ICYD Activity aims at improving learning outcomes and ensure that children and youth have the opportunity to lead resilient healthy and productive lives. The USAID ICYD Activity further strengthens young people’s ability to engage with their environment, address their health and safety needs and make it likely for them to reach their full potential.

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