By Tal Wagshal, Alice Wilbur and Kyla Gregoire
Northern Uganda continues to recover and rebuild from a 20+ year conflict. The conflict led to mass displacement of citizens and a breakdown in infrastructure and governance systems. School closures, which were associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, exacerbated challenges faced by Uganda’s Ministry of Local Government and the District Local Governments (DLGs), namely to provide quality infrastructure and uninterrupted education for children in the region.
To address these challenges in the education system, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and Northern Uganda Development of Enhanced Local Governance Infrastructure and Livelihoods (NUDEIL) engage in follow-on activity from September 2020 – August 2024. During this period, Green Powered Technology (GPTech), a veteran-owned small business, and its partners worked with DLGs to provide planning, engineering, procurement, and construction services. The GPTech team also worked with the DLGs to strengthen their capacity to deliver basic services to Ugandan citizens (including construction management, quality assurance, quality control services and training), environmental compliance, and financial oversight of DLG-administrative funds. Within the NUDEIL’s 45 project sites across various districts including Omoro, Lamwo, Kitgum, Nwoya, Amuru, Oyam, and Gulu, GPTech assisted with infrastructure improvements and construction efforts for 23 schools, 184 boreholes, 19.6 kilometers of roads, and 1 bridge.
Site visit with contractor during classroom wall construction.
The Omoro District benefited from seven of the NUDEIL’s projects. These projects are also receiving support from other USAID programs to improve reading outcomes in all 66 government-supported primary schools. One school in the Omoro District (Adak Primary School) has seen decreased rates of school absenteeism, drop-outs, and overcrowding among its 815 enrolled students.
Site inspection of foundation for new school building at Adok Primary School, Omoro District, Uganda
GPTech worked with the Omoro DLG to complete the renovation, expansion, and construction of three schools, including Adak Primary School. The Omoro DLG and MLG oversaw construction of three new classrooms, an office, a store, and a staff room, 16 ventilated improved pit latrines, a staff kitchen, and teachers’ housing. In all, the improvements resulted in a 40% expansion of the school grounds. In addition to physical capacity, the inclusion of safe and dignified water, sanitation, and hygiene facilities (particularly for women and girls) is critical for improving attendance, teacher retention, prevention of gender-based violence, and for promoting broader social and behavioral changes.
The newly renovated Adak Primary School was officially handed over to the Omoro DLG, the Adak Primary School teachers, and the Lukwir Parish community in February 2023. At the official handover ceremony, school officials noted that the expansion and renovation of Adak School had already contributed to a 15% increase in school enrollment and will support broader gains in student health, retention, and learner performance.
