About Us
Uganda Essomero Project is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that was created to oversee fundraising efforts for grade schools and high schools in Central Uganda, located in East Africa. The latest grade school is set to serve a small town of about 10,000 people.
Our Vision
Our mission is to create opportunities for prosperity and self-sufficiency in Katakala, Uganda by building a school, supporting its opening then growing its educational and extracurricular offerings.
Our Need
The villages in Katakala have very limited primary school options. Those that do exist have limited resources, often lacking running water, bathrooms, schoolbooks, and desks. In Uganda, due to the lack of effective government programs, individuals step in to assist those in need. We want to create a school that promotes education by providing a safe, clean, and caring environment. Our aim is to provide a primary education that allows students to succeed in secondary education.
Education in Uganda
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The K-12 system in Uganda translates to seven years of primary education followed by six years of secondary education.
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Only 17% of primary school graduates go on to take any form of secondary education, often because they do not pass the exams required to do so. Only 25% complete grade 5.
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The public primary education system in Uganda is grossly overcrowded.
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The student-to-teacher ratio in Uganda is extremely high (40:1), providing a noisy and distracting learning environment.
Our History
Father Matthias Kakooza's relationship with the parishioners of St. Andrew Parish in Chicago, Illinois began in 2001. It started as an annual trip to raise funds for his parish in Uganda by saying Mass while the resident priests were on vacation. His efforts provided bicycles for the parish catechists to expand their ministry to remote "outstation" communities and funded the repair of broken water wells to ensure a clean water supply.
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In 2005, St. Andrew parishioners started making sustained investments in his work by sponsoring his yearly trip. This allowed Fr. Matthias to create lasting friendships and expand his ministries to include rehabilitating schools and providing academic scholarships. Under the direction of Fr. Matthias, we successfully built two schools: St. Andrew Lawamata and St. Andrew Lwanga.
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In 2011, a group of St. Andrew parishioners went on an immersion trip to visit Fr. Matthias and saw the need for safe, clean, and academically challenging schools. We also witnessed the important role that pastors play in their parish community and how Fr. Matthias has a unique gift to bring people together, allocate resources wisely, and get things done. This inspired us to create the Uganda Essomero Project.
