Access to Complete and Holistic Education (ACHE) is a Local Non-Governmental Organization that operates in the Nyabihu District of Western Province. ACHE strives to eradicate school dropout and for children to get access to a full and quality education. This is done through equipping children themselves with life skills to face the future with success. ACHE also supports school leaders and educators in general with continuous professional development training to share skills and good practices that can be used to effectively empower students with a holistic education that makes them innovative critical thinkers who can solve life problems they encounter in their everyday lives. Besides, ACHE closely collaborates with the school community (local leaders and parents) and mobilizes them to lend their supporting hand to the completion of children’s education.
ACHE believes that equipping children with complete and holistic education will enable them to become good leaders and citizens of tomorrow. The people that can bring about sustainable development and positive change around them.
The present report points out what the organization has achieved so far since it started working in Nyabihu District.
MEETING DIFFERENT STAKEHOLDERS
After realizing that most children in Nyabihu were exposed to the problem of school dropout and that children did not finish their schools; ACHE came as one of the solutions to that problem. A pilot study was made at Groupe Scolaire Saint Joseph Rurembo where the school dropout was ………….. and after two years the school dropout has decreased to zero percent. It is in this regard that a meeting was held with the District Leaders to get permission to work in the District and share the vision for the children who were dropping out of school.
ACHE in a meeting with the District Leaders to share the vision for children who drop schools
ACHE has also met Rurembo Sector Leaders and shared the vision, the Sector Leaders promised to support the vision and the Sector Executive Secretary took part in the teacher training in the School Empowerment- Think Big Program of the organization.
Pose at Nyabihu District on the way to Rurembo Sector for 133 teachers’ training
ACHE has a big heart for children in the Nyabihu District, we desire to see a child in a remote area like this realize their dreams, but it has limited resources. For this reason, ACHE has met the Wellspring Foundation for Education leadership to support some of the activities of the organization.
EQUIPPING CHILDREN WITH LIFE SKILLS
Seeing that one of the causes of the school dropout of children was the lack of basic needs like food, and school materials, ACHE sat with them and listened to children. Among the ideas shared some little income-generation activities were thought about. A solution that was taken to the school dropout was that a child get a domestic animal to rear for the class and when the animal reproduces, this child would get some of the litter and the other would be shared with the other children at school. Another idea that arose in that meeting with children was to use the school land to cultivate some vegetables, fruit, and trees with the idea of supporting the school feeding program so that their colleagues who had difficulties to pay the school feeding get the opportunity to keep on studying and that the school environment becomes a place where green revolution is cared for. Presently …… children have so far got a hen or a rabbit to rear and pass it to a colleague and so on.
CONTINUOUS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT TRAINING
To help children enjoy the school as a conducive learning environment, ACHE has thought of supporting the school leaders and teachers to professionally develop. It is in this perspective that teachers benefited from two pieces of training to support them be able to implement the competence-based curriculum, the curriculum that was recently launched to equip children with knowledge, skills values, and attitudes. In the training evaluations, teachers expressed their strong need to go deeper into details and be able to fully understand every component of the competence-based curriculum.
The first training of teachers on the competence-based curriculum at G.S. Saint Joseph Rurembo
In the second training, ACHE was accompanied by the Sector Executive Secretary who appreciated the input of the School Empowerment Program, shared best practices with teachers, and asked them to work together to empower the youth with competencies that will allow them to face and overcome tomorrow’s challenges.
The second training on the competence-based curriculum at G.S. Rurembo
ACHE values the contribution of the school community to the education of the children and that is why it has equally thought of how to make all the endeavors taken sustainable and has engaged parents, local leaders, and church representatives in the support of ideas to help the child access school, quality and complete it. ACHE has therefore trained the community sensitizers who will help the wider community of parents to follow up on the schooling of their children, advise them, and act as overseers to prevent any kind of school dropout ideas that can arise.
Training of the community sensitizers, local leaders, and church representatives
ACHE is making an impact in the Rurembo Sector and leaders share with their colleagues when they meet; hence, school support is suggested to help them better understand the competence-based curriculum in practice. ACHE has been able to support two schools in Gasabo by training their teachers on the competence-based curriculum.
ACHE in school support at Mount Carmel School and Gisozi Secondary School
ACHE dreams about equipping young children with complete and holistic education, this is a vision that requires commitment and resources that surpass the capacity we have. Any kind of support for the advancement of this vision for a remote area is highly appreciated.