This appeal seeks support for the Gulu Disabled Persons Union (GDPU) a partner of The Advocacy Project that works in the northern district of Gulu, Uganda. Your donations will help GDPU to build a latrine at the Abaka school with four stances - two for boys and two for girls. The project will also install a separate room for girl students and a walkway, ramps, railings, and stability bars for students with a disability. Our hope is to lift enrollment and improve hygiene at Abaka.
Abaka Primary School has experienced a 29% drop in enrollment over the past school year due to latrines deemed unsafe by The Gulu District Ministry of Health and Services. Parents have reacted to the latrine conditions by transferring their children to other schools or keeping them at home.
Upon completion, Abaka Primary School will provide accessible latrines for students and facilitate increased attendance and augment the education opportunities of the children in Palaro Sub County. The AP model, which calls for inclusivity of parents and the local community in school improvement projects, works because parents feel a sense of ownership and pride in the project. With safe latrines approved by the Gulu District, Abaka Primary School will become model of sustainability in Gulu.
The Advocacy Project, working with Gulu Disabled Persons Union (GDPU), will apply this latrine model to other schools in the Gulu District and gain the respect of the Gulu Ministry of Health and Services for dependable latrine construction services. Future latrine structures deemed unsafe and inoperable by the ministry, can be forwarded to the GDPU for a sustainable AP model of latrine construction, resulting in increased and steady school attendance, and the betterment of Ugandan children.