Teachers change the world. We know that. You know that. But sometimes it doesn't hurt to remind the teachers themselves. At the secondary school in Nakivale, there's nothing right now that unites teachers visually. And they'd like to change that. "Having the same t-shirt makes us more visible," said Groetti, one of the teachers at the school. "It motivates the staff and brings them together. They would remember that they're in this together." Getting some t-shirts for these teachers seemed like a no brainer. And on the front, splashed loud and clear for everyone to see? TEACHERS CHANGE THE WORLD! These teachers are teaching classes with 100 or more students, when the standard size is 53. They're truly superheroes. "These t-shirts make us so proud," said another teacher, Edgar. "They make us feel like we are really changing the world!" This day of change brought to you by Edmentum's We Can Learn Foundation … [Read more...] about Teachers Change the World

Sarfa is the art teacher at the secondary school in Nakivale Refugee Settlement. She believes in the power of art to heal, grow, and excel. But she's constantly faced with a challenge - there aren't enough art supplies. Art is the type of discipline that is a little bit tough to do without paint, colored pencils, clay - the things that help express yourself visually. So we wanted to do something to help Sarfa feel a little more confident in her lessons... We got Sarfa and her students a boost in supplies so their creative spirit won't be hindered by a lack of materials. "We need to improve the visual arts of the school," said Sarfa. "I'm most excited about using the pastels." "Seeing learners excel is my favorite part about teaching art. These materials will help all of the students grow. They're going to be so excited!" This day of change brought to you by Edmentum's We Can Learn Foundation … [Read more...] about Color Your World

As we've seen, the 27 teachers at Nakivale's Secondary School sometimes get a bit antsy. They all live on site, and sometimes it's a struggle keeping up with normal routines. One of those routines is hitting the gym. We all know what it's like to want to get in shape, but feeling the lack of time, resources, or willpower to do so. This was a gap these teachers felt in a big way. "I would like to get in shape," said Linnet, one of the teachers at the school. "I've been lazy!" There's not a gym nearby. But can we bring the gym to them? We pulled together an ad hoc "gym" with all the basic equipment - weights, dumbbells, jump rope, resistance bands, and active games like badminton. Then we asked everyone to give their best Arnold Schwarzenegger impression. They were amped and ready to pump some iron! "This will give me some motivation," said Linnet. "I think other teachers feel the same way. I'll look for a partner so I can get someone to push me. I can skip rope … [Read more...] about Hitting the Gym

There are 27 teachers that live at the secondary school in Nakivale Refugee Settlement. That's a lot of people in one space, most of whom are living apart from their families and friends. Needless to say, sometimes they can get a little stir crazy. There's not a whole lot to do at night, aside from grade papers and prep for the next day's lessons. So our team had an idea...what if we could do a little something to help the time pass, to help bring these teachers together? The idea was simple. Indoor games! We got together the classics - Scrabble, checkers, chess, darts, and ludo. The teachers jumped right in, throwing the dice and moving pieces around the boards. Teachers in Nakivale work really hard. These games will help them relax - and have a little fun - after a long day. This day of change brought to you by Edmentum's We Can Learn Foundation … [Read more...] about Fun & Games

We all know how incredible a ripe orange or sweet mango can taste on a hot day. Or at the end of a particularly long one. And for teachers at Nakivale Refugee Settlement, days can be hot, long - and really challenging. We wanted to do something special to say thanks to these hardworking public servants...a tasty treat at the end of the day that might help lift their spirits and spur on their energy. Fruit trees grow well in the fertile Ugandan soil. So today we're planting enough trees to keep supply these teachers with fruit for years to come. Despite the driving rain - which will nourish the newly planted trees! - we brought 50 orange trees, 50 avocado trees, 50 mango trees, 50 gravel trees, and 50 jackfruit trees! The fruit they'll bear is not only delicious, it's nutritious too. Which is especially important in the refugee settlement where an abundance of fruit can sometimes be hard to track down. The trees will do much to nurture these teachers - a small but … [Read more...] about Bearing Fruit

One of the biggest challenges of being a refugee is access to the outside world. Without news, stories, and images of other places and people, it can feel pretty isolating. It gets tough to dream about what’s possible. A TV may seem frivolous. But for refugee students in Nakivale, it’s far from. The headteacher, Ali, at Nakivale’s secondary school had a request – can we help these students get access to a TV? Can we give them a window to the outside world? The answer, of course, was YES! We got to work, purchasing not just a TV but a TV subscription for the school. “This is important because it empowers students with resources that they don’t have at home,” said Ali. "It offers access to news and let’s them know what’s happening in the world. Even the teachers will be together with the learners, with channels like Discovery they can all learn.” Gathering together and watching TV is more than just a learning experience, it’s a chance to spend time together, too. … [Read more...] about Window to the World

Having a good teacher in your life is so important. An inspirational teacher can open a student's eyes to a profession they had never considered, to new worlds and languages. At Nakivale Refugee Settlement, there are a lot of amazing teachers. Because getting in and out of Nakivale can be time consuming, most of them stay in the settlement, sleeping in residences nearby. But none of those residences had access to electricity. We believe that these teachers' comfort at home can mean all the difference in the classroom. So today, we're giving them access to something they could really use - light. "Without light, it is a challenge," said Wilber, one of the head teachers. "We want to do extra work and mark exams but we can't. When you try to charge a phone, you might have to go two days without charge because of the lack of power.” We installed solar panels on five different teachers' residences in Nakivale. The panels will give access to light at night and also charging … [Read more...] about Bright Ideas