Hope Without Classrooms

In most regions of Uganda, especially in the Eastern districts like Jinja, Mayuge, and Iganga, education remains a daily battle for survival. Many schools exist only in name without proper classrooms, desks, or learning materials. Children gather under the shade of trees, balancing their books on their knees or on the dusty ground. In some areas, there are no benches to sit on, no chalk to write with, and sometimes only one teacher is available to handle multiple classes at once.

When it rains, lessons are abandoned as water seeps through leaky roofs or floods the open spaces that serve as classrooms. During the dry season, the scorching heat and dust make concentration almost impossible. Some children walk barefoot for miles every morning, carrying tattered exercise books in plastic bags to protect them from the rain. Others attend school on empty stomachs, fighting hunger and fatigue as they try to focus on learning.

In villages where poverty runs deep, school uniforms are patched several times, and many pupils share a single textbook between five or more classmates. A broken piece of chalk becomes a treasure. And still, they come determined, smiling, and hungry not for food alone, but for knowledge that could change their lives.

Yet, despite these hardships, many children never lose their courage, hope, or determination. They understand that education is not just about attending school; it’s a lifeline a pathway out of poverty, a chance to rewrite their family’s story and a step toward a brighter future.