Uganda Day

Uganda Day At Your School

In Uganda, 9th June of each year is National Heroes’ Day. It is designed to honour those who played a major role in creating a better future for the people of Uganda. Ugandan Independence Day is celebrated on 9th October each year, marking the 1962 independence from the UK.

My Child Uganda is pleased to offer a way for UK schools to mark Uganda Day whilst educating children about how life for children in Uganda is very different than for children in the UK.

Whether or not your school already has some connection with Uganda through its children or staff, we invite you to consider holding ‘Uganda Day’ at your school at some point during either June or October to coincide with National Celebrations during those months . We are happy to help provide you with a range of ideas for educational activities and ways in which you could mark the day, some of which are listed below, from which you are welcome to choose those most suited to your school.

You could consider suggesting children bring a small donation on the day, as you might for a non-uniform day. We suggest a donation amount equivalent to the average amount spent on primary education per child in Uganda: £1.50 per day (as opposed to nearly £10/child/day in the UK). Donations to our charity, My Child Uganda, will be used in our Ugandan projects based around Social Welfare, Education and Inspiration.

Ideas:

All Ugandan schools start the day by singing the National Anthem..
Go electricity free for the day - like many schools in Uganda.
Encourage everyone to walk to school - all or part of the way.
In Uganda, some teachers perform daily fingernail checks!
Use an assembly to show the children what schools in Uganda are like, and demonstrate that education is a privilege not afforded universally.
Book a speaker or choose one of our videos to show.
Ask children to go barefoot whilst indoors.
Rearrange your classroom to the traditional style used in Uganda - either in straight rows or without any furniture at all.
Limit use of or share resources such as pens, exercise books and paper.
Involve the children with preparing a traditional Ugandan lunch.
At playtime, introduce traditional Ugandan games.
Learn some Ugandan words and phrases.
Learn about Ugandan history and culture.
At the end of the day, involve the children in cleaning and sweeping classrooms/playgrounds, as happens across Uganda, where children often then have to go home and look after younger siblings and/or help with farming or food preparation.

Did you know?

Uganda takes its name from the Buganda kingdom, which forms a large part of the south of the country including the capital Kampala.

Did you know?

There are more Ugandans under 18 than there are adults.

Did you know?

40% of public school classes have no teacher - because they are not paid enough or on time.

If you are interested in taking part in a Uganda Day at your school, and want to obtain further information and resources, contact us today.

You can download this page as a 1-page document here.

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