education programs
Fewer than 25% of students in Northern Uganda reach secondary school.
The problem is not the will to learn.
The problem is school fees that families cannot afford, schools without ramps, teachers without the tools to manage mixed-ability classrooms, and children carrying unprocessed trauma who cannot sit still at a desk.
CEFARH works on all of these barriers — at the same time, not one at a time. Our approach to education starts from one principle: learning works when children are doing well.
Play is not the opposite of studying
it is how children process, grow and connect.
This belief is the foundation of Thriving Through Play, the program that has reached 43 schools in Northern Uganda.
What we do
Thriving Through Play — our flagship program
Emotional and mental well-being for children aged 6 to 12. Safe play spaces in schools, emotional literacy toolkits, teacher training. The goal is not only for children to feel well: it is for that emotional stability to translate into greater participation, stronger learning and fewer dropouts.
Scholarships and school materials
Poverty should not determine access to education. We provide scholarships and school materials, and build partnerships with schools to waive fees for children in the most difficult situations. Direct support, with no intermediaries.
Teacher training
Teachers trained in inclusive, student-centred methods. Emotional literacy toolkits. Peer learning networks among teachers. A teacher who changes their approach changes the experience of thirty children a year — every year.
School reintegration and vocational guidance
For young people who have left school, we build reintegration pathways and informal vocational training. The point is not to recover a standard school curriculum: it is to open real possibilities where there were none before.
Our impact
young people on a reintegration or vocational training path after dropping out
sponsored students (334 in primary and early childhood, 130 in secondary)
schools with Learning Through Play integrated into their program
vocational institute built as a social enterprise
Where we are headed
- Enroll 500 new vulnerable children by 2028
- Open 5 community learning centres (2 already in 2025)
- Reach an 85% school retention rate among enrolled children
- Bring at least 50% of target schools to adopt inclusive teaching practices
- Establish partnerships with 10 schools to waive fees for the most disadvantaged children