At Tudabujja, Retrak's Halfway Home and Farm, Michael Esalu teaches Ugandan street children basic literacy, numeracy and life-skills. These catch-up classes help to prepare the children for their return to school by ensuring that they are at the same level as their peers back home, making them less likely to drop out and return to the streets.
Children who have been living on the streets are marginalized in society and excluded from education. Retrak strives to return street children to their families and communities, but children who have been on the streets for months or even years have fallen behind their peers in terms of education, which can be a barrier to their resettlement.
In addition to learning farming skills and participating in recreational activities, children at Tudabujja attend daily catch-up literacy and numeracy lessons, taught by Michael Esalu. These classes help prepare children for entry into school upon their return to their families. By attending Michael's classes, which are tailored to the abilities of each child, children are at a comparable level with their peers and more likely to stay in school.
Tudabujja will house 90 children a year, providing them with education, sports and recreation, agricultural training, nutritious meals and medical care. Living in a family setting, the children's emotional, psycho-social and physical health are restored in preparation for their reintegration into family and community life. The skills and knowledge that the children gain enable them to contribute meaningfully to household income and the well-being of their families once they are returned home.
This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).