Why we do what we do
About Us
Who we are
Abato Foundation Uganda is a children community organization established in 2011 to improve the livelihoods of children and youth in Uganda through through education and nurturing their talents and abilities. “Abato” means children in luganda, the largest spoken local language.
The foundation was started by young people with a vision to raise a generation of changemakers who will lead in the transformation of our society.
We believe that every child irrespective of their social background has an inherent ability deposited in them which when tapped can help them not only realize their potential but also add to the transformation of our society. It is in the desire to provide equal access to quality education and its associated benefits that Abato was established.
A good quality education is the foundation of success for many individuals in Uganda, yet a quality education still remains an exclusive of the rich and the middle class. It is this inequality that we seek to address through provision of low cost, good quality education.
How we do it, Our Approach
Abato has three main programs which are Health, Education and Economic Empowerment. It’s through these that all our projects are implemented.
Education
Abato Preschool
The Abato Preschool was born out of the need to provide quality early childhood education to children in Mpigi, Uganda. Early Childhood Education is a new phenomenon in Uganda given the fact that the country has just rolled out its ECD Policy to streamline the sector. The Abato Preschool which was also our first education project in 2012 is currently providing quality services in a child friendly learning environment to 91 children(as of March 2020)
Abato Junior School
The Abato Junior School was established upon the graduation of our first pre-school finalist to the Primary school level in 2013. The Abato Junior School trains self-reliant young people through a combination of traditional and modern leaning frameworks. The Abato Junior school has a population of 287 children with classes from Primary One up to Primary Seven.
Girls On A Mission Empowerment Center
Girls on a Mission is Abato’s flagship women and girls empowerment project. The project has established a vocational skills training center providing access to vocational skills education to teenage mothers, widows and other women in the community with the aim of equipping them with the relevant skills to enable them improve their household incomes.
The Pearl High School
The Pearl High School is the newest education project of Abato Foundation Uganda. Since 2015, Abato Junior School has been graduating between 15-20 children to the next level of education. Sadly however a limited number of them have been able to join secondary school due to poverty while others have dropped out of school because it’s the Abato Foundation which has been supporting them and it has not had the resources to get them to secondary school.
Health
Kingdom Medical Center
“A healthy mind operates in a health body” We believe in this age old adage. To improve the living conditions of young people in the communities where we serve, we realized a need to have an ongoing health program to ensure that all our learners are healthy. Kingdom Medical Center started out as a small school clinic in 2018 to provide basic health care services to children in the community. Today the Facility has upgraded into a Health Center Three offering Maternity services to scale down the high rates of maternal mortality in our community, dental services, immunization and professional diagnosis services. The health center today has 5 fulltime qualified health workers.
Economic Empowerment
Advocacy and Mentorship programs
The Girls on a Mission is a girl’s project through which we defend the rights of girls against all forms of abuse as well as conducting ongoing mentorship for girls at various levels of education in Uganda. Women in business, politics and other sectors provide ongoing mentorship to young women at university who are in turn mentoring high school students. The High School students under mentorship are also involved with mentoring other younger girls at Primary school level and the cycle continues. We have established several clubs in schools to address such critical issues as menstrual hygiene and equal opportunities for girls in education.
Urban Bwoyz Dance Crew
Dance and music are liberating for young people and therefore we are tapping into the potential of music and dance to avail opportunities for young people to freely express themselves as well as nurture their talents by providing a platform through competitions and dance free classes at our facilities.
Onside Soccer Academy.
The Onside Soccer Academy is part of a large family of soccer academies spread across the world which provide opportunities to young children to play soccer. Onside Soccer Academy offers coaching education to young people who want to become coaches and these offer free coaching sessions to children in the community. All soccer activities are carried out at the Pass It on Soccer field near the Abato School.
Denise Promise Tennis Academy
Abato is partnering with the UK Charity Denises Promise to provide access to free tennis training to youths and young children in Mpigi. Todate a multi-purpose court has been established and tennis lessons are set to start as soon as the lockdown is lifted.