Community Education Volunteer Program
Community-led change begins with grassroots leaders.
Community change-makers
Our Community Education Volunteer (CEV) program provides training and support to aspiring change-makers in villages throughout Uganda, empowering them to become education advocates who connect youth with foundational learning opportunities. Our CEVs range in age from 17 to 70 and come from all walks of life. They are farmers, educators, shopkeepers, parents, and more, all united by the common goal of igniting change in their communities and ensuring that all children in their village have access to learning.
“I see volunteering as my obligation to the people in my village. Teaching is my passion: it’s inside me. I want the children and women in my village to have an education because when you’re educated, there’s no limit to what you can accomplish, no limit to what you can do for others.”
—Adrinne, CEV, Lwemiriti Village (pictured)
The frontline workers of the COVID education crisis
Patricia, 18, Student
Madiina, 49, Councilwoman
Godfrey, 54, Farmer & Retired Teacher
Juliana, 22, Shopkeeper
Our CEVs are passionate about developing their villages through the power of education. They utilize their strong connections within the community to mobilize household caregivers to enroll their children in school and our complementary learning programs.
CEVs are important education extension agents reaching rural learners in last-mile communities. Many CEVs lead Roots to Rise Community camps, often in their own backyards. Roots to Rise Community was developed amid the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure children could keep learning safely and in person, even as schools were closed.
Building Tomorrow has helped 1,792 CEVs—as frontline educators—acquire their COVID-19 vaccinations to ensure they could and can continue to safely interact with learners amid the pandemic.
“We became CEVs because children had been at home for so long due to COVID-19. We started going door to door to enroll children in our camp, where we played games that helped children learn syllables, numbers, and reading in a fun way. They started to love education, and education is so important for their future.”
—Miriam & Susan, CEVs, Kisenyi Village
Now that schools have reopened across the country, our CEVs are working tirelessly to ensure learners return to the classroom. They have had thousands of conversations at churches, gathering places, community meeting points, and neighbors’ homes to ensure caregivers send their children back to school.
Invest in community leaders. Achieve sustainable results.
Our CEV outreach is an absolutely critical component of ensuring that no child has to throw their dreams of an education away because of COVID-19. Their impact is being felt and creating a ripple effect in communities throughout Uganda.
11,361
CEVs recruited to support learning efforts since 2020
551,349
Hours volunteered by CEVs in 2023
4,445
Roots to Rise camps led by CEVs in 2022