Education

Education is an essential tool to fight poverty and corruption, and the best way to help people improve someone’s situation ⎼ especially when only 40 percent of children finish school in sub-Saharan Africa, according to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics. At the schools we support through Child Africa in Uganda, children learn “honesty and integrity” as a school subject. After all, they are the future leaders of Africa that can help put an end to extreme poverty. Education has proven to be the best way to create social change in the areas where Better Globe Forestry Ltd. (BGF) operates.

In East Africa’s underprivileged communities, many children have to contribute to the household economy. Supporting the family prevents countless children from attending school regularly. To further complicate the situation, schools are not free, as they are commonly in other parts of the world. And parents in poor communities often cannot afford to let their children go to school over extended periods. Instead, the kids are needed at home, and the money is needed for food.

Children in the rural parts of Kenya and Uganda usually need to bring water to school as there often is a shortage, especially in the drier counties. As BGF establishes its plantations and creates well-paid jobs in rural areas, the children, as a result, are far more likely to go to school.

Building and renovating schools

When our customers subscribe to or purchase Donation Packages, we help BGF in partnership with Child Africa International to finance the renovation and construction of new schools. With each Donation Package sold, some money is allocated to renovate schools in the areas where BGF operates. With funds our customers have generated for BGF, Child Africa has renovated three schools in Kenya up until 2017. And in Uganda, parts of two schools have been built with support from our philanthropic customers. The latest of the schools is the one you see in the photo below.

BGF is purely a forestry company, as mentioned before, and does not run any schools, and they do not build any schools. BGF leaves that to their NGO partner, Child Africa, other local organizations, parent cooperatives, and similar. However, they do have a close relationship with Child Africa. The charity is a child education NGO (Non-Governmental Organization) that operates schools primarily in Uganda. In 2014, in competition with fifty other charities, Child Africa was awarded the best NGO in the field of education.

Child Africa International

The NGO was established in 1991 by Ugandan-born Julie Solberg and her husband and Better Globe Group chairman Rino Solberg. In their humble beginnings, they focused on paying school fees and books for children in Uganda. Currently, Child Africa operates schools and sponsorship programs, primarily in Uganda. The Better Globe Donation Package has also enabled them to provide ongoing support to some schools in Kenya. And a few years back, Child Africa reached the milestone of having helped more than 10 000 children attend school in Uganda alone.

Like most charities, Child Africa relies on companies, organizations, and individuals to contribute to its activities in diverse ways. 100% of the teachers’ wages, books, and, particularly, food and clothing for the children, comes from contributions of varying kinds. In addition to a substantial portion of the earmarked money for the schools in the Donation Packages, a significant part of Better Globe’s profits has also been used to support Child Africa’s work.

Child Africa’s schools and activities are known far outside the Ugandan and Kenyan borders. They offer an education that helps children from socio-economically poor conditions become successful in school. Child Africa’s students’ performance is on the same level as the “finest” schools in the district. The pedagogy focuses on building self-confidence and working with core values such as integrity, all in keeping with our joint mission to fight poverty and corruption.

Child Africa was also known for integrating disabled children, mainly deaf children, into regular school activities. All the children at the schools used to learn sign language to help with communication between those with hearing disabilities and the other children. Child Africa has also gained notice for using mobile phones to assist deaf children and as a part of the integration process at their schools.

Many of the students also live at the Child Africa boarding school. It is often better for the children to reside at school than to make long travels each day. Thus, they also avoid spending their time helping at home and can instead focus on their schoolwork. Child Africa’s boarding school pupils also get three meals a day, which they would not always get at home with their families.

Better Globe has supported Child Africa since we started selling the Donation Package in 2006. Since then, well over 100,000 Donation Packages have been sold worldwide. The best thing you can do to support school activities and children’s education with Better Globe is to purchase regularly, or even better, subscribe to a monthly  Donation Package.

Purchase now and do good for others and yourself!

Support tree planting and poverty relief in East Africa with our Sponsor and Donation Packages. Make a financially sound decision to help families in need with a chance to benefit from long-term sustainable and ethical forest management with Tree Partner Solutions AB. It feels fantastic to help others and the environment. Click the link below and make your first purchase with Better Globe AS and contribute to a better world today.

Act now - start your green journey with us today!