For the past 20 years, REACH for Uganda has transformed communities in rural Eastern Uganda by focusing on delivering quality education, accessible healthcare, and sustainable community development. REACH for Uganda is a non-profit organization based in the United States that helps children in rural Uganda reach their full potential. Through a holistic approach that integrates education, healthcare, and community development initiatives, REACH actively enhances the quality of life for local residents.
Schoolchildren in Uganda. Source: Wikipedia
Education: The Key to Transformation
At REACH for Uganda, we believe education is the most powerful tool for change. We believe that education is the key to transformation and opens opportunities. We believe that children, especially girls, have a right to a quality education and basic healthcare. That’s why building our own secondary school has long been a dream, and now it’s a reality.
The organization operates two model primary schools, serving nearly 1,000 students with a rigorous curriculum, extracurricular activities, and two meals a day. These schools consistently outperform local government-run schools, and REACH supports students through secondary and tertiary education with a scholarship program, enabling over 330 students to attend top schools and unlock future opportunities.
Located in the village of Bumwalukani, our Arlington Junior School (AJS) provides a quality primary school education to 450 children. Located in the village of Butinduyi in Namisindwa District, our second school, Matuwa Junior School (MJS) educates 320 students. Our rigorous, traditional curriculum in English (Uganda’s official language) emphasizes science, social studies, reading, and math. Our Ugandan teachers encourage participation, debate, critical thinking, and self-expression.
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We are proud that so many of our primary school students pass Uganda’s Primary Leaving Exam (PLE) and proceed to secondary and post-secondary education. Our goal is to serve as a model which lifts the standards of education and demonstrates student success at the primary, secondary and post-secondary level.
Hawthorne Scribner High School is more than just a school. It’s a commitment to the future. Hawthorne-Scribner High School Bududa (HSHS) follows an international curriculum designed to offer a well-rounded education that encourages critical thinking, creativity, and effective problem-solving. It lays the groundwork to cultivate the next generation of doctors, teachers, engineers, and leaders, giving students the challenging, enriching education they deserve.
This milestone is especially meaningful as it provides students in our program with a reliable, high-quality option for secondary school. On July 5, we proudly celebrated the official opening of Hawthorne-Scribner High School Bududa (HSHS), REACH for Uganda’s most ambitious project to date. What began as a vision to expand access to quality secondary education in rural eastern Uganda is now a vibrant school campus, complete with two student dormitories, a dining hall, a classroom block, and a nearly completed science building. And while the completion of Phase 1 is a major milestone, it’s only the beginning.
In September 2024, John Wanda and I signed a construction contract and broke ground on a science building for the Hawthorne-Scribner High School, the new school that REACH for Uganda is building in the Bududa district in Uganda (opening in its first phase in February 2025). The Science Building we are building is only from individual donations. We currently need about $150,000 to complete internal finishes and furnish the building with biology, chemistry, physics, information technology, and agriculture laboratories.
We received $800,000 in seed funding from USAID and that was a small portion of the amount required to build the dormitories and classroom block, all of which are now open and in use with three high school classes equivalent to grades 7-8 and an incoming grade 11. We had applied for $2,000,000 from the USAID Office of American Schools and Hospitals Abroad (ASHA) for continued construction of the remaining portion of the campus beyond the science building.
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In April, 14 educators from Virginia, Maryland, Georgia, and New York visited our operations in Uganda for the annual Teacher Trip. Led by Marymount University professors of education, Drs. The workshops focused on project-based learning, how to support special-needs learners, promoting gender equity in classrooms, collaborative and individual storytelling, and provided mentoring in small groups. One traveler noted that, "Our teacher trip to Bududa was far more than just a visit, it was a transformative experience that left a lasting mark on our hearts and our profession. We're so grateful for the energy and learning that these educators shared with our communities in Uganda.
Sponsoring a student’s education through REACH is one of the most rewarding ways you can give. REACH’s sponsorship program matches Arlington Junior School and Matuwa Junior School students with sponsoring families from the US. Sponsors are needed at all levels! To sponsor, click on the student you wish to support and sponsor now, select "Share " - (Amount Per Month) and Click next to checkout. On the next page, select if you prefer to pay for your student Monthly or Annually under frequency and then checkout. Once done, expect to receive additional information about your student.
Your sponsorship of a student secures their future and allows them to reach their full potential.
Here is a table that summarizes the schools operated by REACH for Uganda:
| School Name | Location | Number of Students | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arlington Junior School (AJS) | Bumwalukani village | 450 | Provides quality primary school education. |
| Matuwa Junior School (MJS) | Butinduyi village, Namisindwa District | 320 | Educates students with a traditional curriculum in English. |
| Hawthorne-Scribner High School Bududa (HSHS) | Bududa district | N/A | Offers an international curriculum designed to encourage critical thinking, creativity, and effective problem-solving |
Water School Uganda | Improved Access to Clean Water to Rural areas in Uganda.
Healthcare: Ensuring Healthy Communities
Good health is central to any child’s long-term success. We understand that health is central to a child’s long-term success. That’s why we have two clinics to ensure that both the students and members of the community at large have access to reliable, high quality health services.
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Healthcare is another key focus, with two clinics serving over 30,000 people annually, offering treatments for malaria, HIV, prenatal care, and more. These clinics also provide health education to communities. These clinics also provide health education to communities. Our holistic approach doesn’t stop at education; we also run two clinics that serve over 40,000 people annually, providing critical healthcare services such as malaria treatment, HIV care, maternal health, pneumonia, and more.
We were receiving grants of approximately $40,000 to cover vaccines and essential medicines for the two clinics that we operate.
Healthcare in Uganda. Source: iStockphoto
Our two Beatrice Tierney Health Clinics provide necessary and often hard-to-find healthcare services, to girls not only in our schools but in surrounding communities. Access to sanitary pads and contraceptives at no cost is transformative for girls and women in eastern Uganda. Our clinics make it possible for pregnant women to receive necessary prenatal care and assistance during childbirth, which is not commonly accessible in the region.
This month, we’re focusing on the vital intersection of health and education in rural Eastern Uganda, where REACH for Uganda has spent 20 years transforming communities through a holistic approach to development.
Clean Water Initiative
We are excited to share an update on our ongoing clean water initiative. Between March 2024 and March 2025, we have made great strides in providing clean water for our communities. We have provided potable water filters from the Ugandan Water Project for four schools and two health clinics. Our students and staff have been trained to clean the water and filters to sustainably maintain our efforts.
We also built a comprehensive hybrid water system at the Hawthorne-Scribner High School (HSHS) in Bududa that combines gravity water and harvested rainwater systems. This system can hold over 100,000 liters of water, making HSHS the first secondary school in the region to have clean water from the tap. We are thrilled to say that we have also improved the rainwater harvesting capacity at both of our primary schools, the Arlington Junior School (AJS) and Matuwa Junior School (MJS), and at the Beatrice Tierney Clinic in Matuwa.
In Bududa, we have replaced the deteriorated roofs and gutters to permit safe rainwater harvesting at AJS. We have also built gravity water connections using the inverted siphon method to provide water to both HSHS and AJS. Finally, in Matuwa, we have replaced the modern pit latrines in the Matuwa Junior School (MJS) and the Beatrice Tierney Clinic.
We are excited about the advancements in this project and are eager to continue our efforts to provide clean water to our communities.
Commitment to Gender Equity
REACH prioritizes gender equity, with 53% of its students being girls. REACH is dedicated to empowering girls and women and promoting gender equity. Its efforts have significantly boosted female enrollment, and all girls who complete primary education pursue higher education.
Every year, we implement strategies to increase enrollment and retention of female students. Our girls’ mentorship program works to encourage them to stay in school, grow their confidence, learn about gender-relevant barriers, and how to combat them. Still, our commitment to gender parity goes far beyond education, as we strive to uplift women in all aspects.
Women form a significant portion of our boots-on-the-ground workforce in Uganda. Recently, with the ongoing construction of the Hawthorne-Scribner High School, we have insisted that women form a significant part of the labor force. These women help lay bricks, bend steel rolls, dig trenches, tasks typically reserved for men. By engaging women in construction, they have been able to develop new skills and earn an income, making them major financial contributors in their homes.
We have also partnered with organizations and individuals to establish microfinance programs. When the REACH microfinance program began, it focused solely on women, providing them with business and economic empowerment opportunities they previously did not have access to. REACH’s commitment to gender equity remains central to our mission and programming.
Nationally in Uganda, only 4% of women graduate from university or vocational education. Happy International Women’s Day! REACH for Uganda celebrates the incredible women in Uganda and around the world who are breaking barriers and creating change. We are committed to ensuring women have access to education, healthcare, and equal economic opportunities.
From the beginning, we've made sure that our classrooms and scholarship programs have gender parity, and that our female students are empowered to speak in class as much as their male counterparts. We ensure that women are employed in our organization at all levels and serve on our boards. Together, we can empower women to thrive, prosper, and lead their communities toward a brighter future.
Community Development and Ripple Effect
REACH’s ripple effect is felt throughout this rural community. REACH Uganda employs teachers, administrators, medical workers, and support staff. With steady employment and better pay, these workers’ standard of living has improved and enabled them to build better homes for their families and put their own children through school.
Additionally, REACH employs local community members, including alumni who became healthcare professionals, fostering sustainable development.
Being able to witness education in different parts of the world will be hugely beneficial to my work back in the US and being able to teach my students about the world as a whole. It has enabled me to continue building bridges across our world to create a better future. This trip has helped me to become a better teacher and has reconfirmed for me that I am in the right profession.
How to Support REACH for Uganda
How are charitable dollars spent? Your donation to REACH for Uganda supports education, healthcare, and community development in rural Eastern Uganda. It helps fund two model primary schools and one secondary school, providing over 1,000 students with quality education, meals, and extracurricular activities. Funds contribute to gender equity initiatives, including microfinance programs and empowering women in leadership roles. Additionally, donations support REACH’s healthcare clinics, which serve over 30,000 people annually, providing essential medical treatments and health education.
Due to the loss of the possibility of USAID funding, organizations like REACH for Uganda are facing increased challenges to raise money to maintain and expand our education and community development programs. The dismantling of USAID affects our programs both directly and indirectly. We are also seeing consequences that are a direct result of the removal of USAID funding.
federal funding priorities, our clinics have lost some financial support. Your help is more crucial than ever to ensure that our clinics can continue to provide vital care to underserved, rural populations. Your donation will help continue this integrated model, ensuring that we can provide both the education and healthcare that these communities need to thrive. Together, we can support the long-term, sustainable growth of Eastern Uganda, where every contribution directly enhances the quality of life for both children and adults.
We have just under $500,000 available in matching, so please give generously. If you decide to donate more than $5,000, you will get a special 2 to 1 match. We will also match any corporate matching, so please urge your friends and employers to donate. Please help us by giving generously.
This organization’s profile page is part of the Arlington Nonprofit Directory.
Our Core Values:
- Education: We believe that children, especially girls, have a right to a quality education and basic healthcare.
- Respect: We value the Ugandan culture and way of life.
- A Passion to Serve: We empower people with opportunities to help children and others in need.
Sponsor a student’s education and change their life forever. Travel with us to Uganda- High school students, adults, teachers.
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