At Bwiwula Primary School during her fellowship In Mayuge District, Laker Winnie faced a number of challenges including absenteeism of children and very high school dropout.
70% of the children dropped out before finishing their primary school level. She rolled out “Beyond 7”, a football project to improve school regularity and retention.
She went on to realize a 35% school enrollment, 85% class attendance by her students, and more children were registered in upper primary.
Winnie went ahead and co-founded a Community Based Organization (CBO) called EduBall, which uses the power of football to improve educational outcomes for children in underprivileged school communities. Eduball currently impacts over 238 students across five primary schools in Mayuge District.
Laker also won a $2,000 grant from Huracan Foundation to run a project that seeks to reduce school absenteeism in her former placement school.
She believes her project participants will become better problem solvers who will go on to transform themselves and their communities.
“The Fellowship gave me a platform to develop into a transformative leader who takes initiative to solve social injustices in the community with a collaborative mindset,” Winnie says.
Alongside running her CBO, Winner facilitates learning St. Bakhita, a vocational boarding school in Kalongo, Uganda, committed to educating and empowering individuals across the Acholi region to propel modern innovation and provide students with skills needed to excel in their jobs and make a lasting impact on their community.
