Atanga Secondary Schools was founded in 1982 with the motto “education for leadership”. Atanga Senior Secondary School is located in Pader District, which is closer to Sudan and rebel bases than the area of Gulu. Because of this, the administration at Atanga SS had to request fulltime UPDF troops to guard the school. The school has been greatly affected by the 23-year-long war in northern Uganda and has been displaced three times, totaling 13 of its 27 years of existence. Most of the 389 students live in the neighboring Atanga internally displaced camp and walk one and a half kilometers to school. Despite the obstacles of disease and distance from home to school, Atanga’s students consistently receive satisfactory scores on national exams.

To date, support from Schools for Schools has helped Atanga with some of its highest priorities. Previously there was one school building that was built in 1983, which consisted of four incomplete and severely damaged classrooms. Bricks were broken around the non-existent windows, and there was no plaster or verandas. There were also no doors, preventing the classrooms from being secure at night. The average classroom consisted of 50-60 students per teacher with an average of four students per desk. Some classes were being held in storerooms. The latrines were waterlogged due to poor drainage and posed a great health risk.

With your support we constructed two dual classroom blocks, renovated the four classrooms, supplied them with furniture and a basic supply of textbooks, and refurbished an administration block. We have also drilled a new borehole, replacing the old one that was located downhill from the latrines and posed a risk for contamination. An additional two blocks of five-stance of eco-san latrines have been completed and a generator has been installed to provide a secure and regular power supply. We have also continued to invest in teacher training, including school development planning, monitoring and evaluation, psychosocial support for guidance, and counseling teachers. Furthermore, we provide training for financial management and planning, record keeping, and computer literacy programs.

Work is currently underway for the construction of two additional blocks of eco-san latrines. Underground cabling is being laid to connect the recently supplied generator to all the classrooms and other facilities. These projects will complement the two-story administration block that we will break ground on in the upcoming months.