Ashinaga Uganda Rainbow House Continues to Make a Difference in Children’s Lives 

Ashinaga Uganda Rainbow House Continues to Make a Difference in Children’s Lives 
 

Amidst the pandemic and two government-mandated lockdowns, Ashinaga Uganda Rainbow house has managed to continue to meet the needs of orphaned children and follow through with the program’s objective, which is to provide education and emotional support to the children in Nansana.

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly affected the education system in Uganda since March 2020. Children under the Terakoya Program, which educates children from primary grade one to primary grade five, has been deeply affected by these closures.

The teachers and Rainbow House maneuvered through lockdown by making special home visits, so the children still managed to get homework and guidance from the teachers.

Secondary school scholarships and University scholarships were still running smoothly until the lockdown of schools. Amid this interruption, students from primary grade seven to senior grades four and six were able to complete their final exams.

COVID relief packages and emergency scholarships were given to each household. This money went towards supplementing household incomes and ensured access to adequate meals.

In early spring 2021, primary grade four and five classes were the first cohorts that successfully resumed, with strict compliance to the “new normal” rules put in place. Activities such as football training with the Soltilo football club resumed. Some of the primary grade five students even had the opportunity to go to a Yujo Japanese restaurant as a field trip.

At the end of May 2021, we saw Uganda hit by a second wave of COVID, coinciding with the end of the term for primary grades four and five. The second wave led to the second national lockdown, once again affecting schools.

Despite these challenges, however, the Terakoya teachers were committed to teaching, and their dedication led to them finding creative ways of delivering lessons to the children. As a result, a total of 1,000 children could continue their education, equipping them with the tools needed to succeed in the future.