In Uganda, more than 1 million primary-aged children, or about 11%, are out of school (UNESCO 2024). Building Tomorrow is working to reverse this trend. To date, we have enrolled more than 150,000 children in school, including 38,000 learners this year alone. For some, this is the first time they have attended school. We are calling on you during our Back to School campaign to help us ensure this important work can continue.

Sometimes a single encounter has the power to transform a life forever. That’s exactly what happened for Doreen, twins Jonan and Ivan, and Helen—siblings who had never stepped foot in a classroom until they met BT Fellow Sarah Kyansemeza. For most of their lives, the four children helped their mother with daily household chores while she worked as a laborer outside the home to make ends meet. She felt compelled to keep her children at home, rather than send them to school. When Sarah learned of the family’s circumstances, she was determined to open up new doors of opportunity and worked with the children’s mother to find a nearby school that charged lower tuition fees and offered more flexibility to parents. Doreen, Jonan, Ivan, and Helen are now enrolled at and happily attending their first year at Kyokewire Primary School.

Check out their images below to learn more about each of their dreams for the future now that they are attending school!

Fellows like Sarah are doing this important work each and every day in districts across Uganda, and we rely on your support to continue relentlessly working to ensure children like Doreen, Jonan, Ivan, and Helen have access to quality education.

Just $7 supports the enrollment of one child in school. Will you consider donating $7 today, or $7 monthly?

Thank you for helping us get kids Back to School!