Empowering Communities to Thrive

CHANGE GROWS FROM THE GROUND UP

Smiling children in colorful t-shirts inside a school classroom, with other children in the background.

We don’t just work in communities — we work with them to build sustainable solutions that last.

What We Mean by “Community Uplift”

School for Life’s community uplift work is built on partnership and shared ownership. Rather than bringing in short-term solutions, we work alongside local leaders, parents, and schools to strengthen the systems that surround a child and shape their future. Projects like the Model Farm, Kumi Tailoring, the water network, and our Government School strengthening pilot show how education, livelihoods and wellbeing reinforce one another.

Our role is to build capacity, not dependency. By investing in local leadership, practical skills and long-term structures, we help communities create their own opportunities and sustain progress over time. The result is change that lasts — owned by the community, led from within and passed on to the next generation.

Community Uplift in Action

KUMI Tailoring Project

KUMI is School for Life’s women-led tailoring program at Katuuso, providing vocational training, stable employment and income for women who previously had limited access to education. What began in 2013 as a small skills initiative has grown into a social enterprise, with full-time tailors producing school uniforms, community products and over 2,500 reusable menstrual kits each year. Today, Kumi strengthens livelihoods, restores dignity and equips women and girls with practical skills to support themselves and their families.

A woman sewing pink fabric with a sewing machine surrounded by people in a busy workshop or market setting.

Water Project

Bringing clean water to more than 4,500 people across the five communities surrounding Katuuso Primary School, this project has replaced long, unsafe walks for water with a reliable piped system that reaches homes and shared taps. Through five new boreholes, reservoirs and a 19km pipeline network, families now have enough clean water for daily use, farming and improved health, with strong community involvement ensuring long-term sustainability.

A man and a woman in blue shirts are using a manual pump to draw water from a well in a rural area with greenery and trees in the background.

Systems Strengthening

A 2022 needs assessment highlighted significant gaps in nearby Government Primary Schools. In response, School for Life launched a pilot to strengthen teaching, learning and community support. The program has since boosted enrolment and attendance, improved learning outcomes, enhanced student wellbeing, and built stronger, more capable school and community leadership.

A row of newly constructed single-story buildings with open doors and windows, construction workers working on the exterior, on a dirt ground with some green grass, under a cloudy sky.

The Model Farm and Ag Cooperative

Empowering smallholder farmers across the five communities surrounding Katuuso Primary School, the Model Farm and Agricultural Cooperative is strengthening food security and income generation. With 20 acres prepared for shared facilities, machinery on the way, and access to milling, storage and value-addition services, 111 cooperative members are gaining the tools, training and water access they need to improve yields, diversify crops and build more resilient livelihoods for their families and communities.