A teacher in Uganda sitting with a child passing them a bottle top
Esther Smitheram and Jemma Gilpin - Communications Team at Children on the Edge

Written by Communications Team

October 28th, 2026

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Taking Cluster Learning to Karamoja

Children on the Edge is replicating our proven Cluster Learning Model in Karamoja, Uganda, to address critical gaps in early childhood education.

We are adapting the model for communities in Karamoja, Uganda's poorest and most remote region. Only 10% of children here have access to Early Childhood Education, leaving thousands without foundational support during the most critical stage of their development.

A group of Congolese mothers and children play duck duck goose with one mother running around the circle with a baby tied to her back using a rainbow wrap
The problem - a lack of early years provision 

Education in Karamoja lags significantly behind the rest of Uganda, presenting some of the starkest structural gaps in the country. Nationally, Uganda achieves a primary gross enrollment rate near 99%, but in Karamoja, approximately 86% of the youth population lacks formal education. Due to chronic local starvation, school attendance is tied to food availability. The traditional, nomadic pastoralist lifestyle requires children to herd livestock. Many children are also removed from school to engage in child labour, specifically small-scale gold and mineral mining

Early Childhood Education (ECE) presents an even more severe crisis in Karamoja than the primary school system. Less than 10% of children in the Karamoja sub-region attend any form of organised early learning, compared to over 60% in Central Uganda, exemplifying the acute geographic inequity. 

Double your impact this November

This November every single pound supporting our work in Karamoja will be doubled* by three generous foundations, so a gift of £10 will become £20 at no additional cost to you.

Back Karamoja's homegrown solutions and double your donation today.

DOUBLE MY DONATION
Teacher training in Uganda teachers are in a circle crouched down taking part in an action song

Our response - Community-led cluster learning close to children’s homes

Cluster learning provides low-cost, play-based education led by local teachers. It eliminates the need for formal school buildings by gathering children in communal spaces and using play materials upcycled from the local environment. The initiative is expanding after its success in Kyaka II refugee settlement, where strong community engagement increased the attendance rate to 81% and enabled communities to start funding their teachers' pay.

A teacher in Uganda sat with the children. The children have made an aeroplane out of bottle tops and the teacher added a homemade doll pilot.

As a result of cluster learning, children from Kyaka enter primary school more socially confident, resilient and classroom-ready than their peers. Now, local teachers and parent committees in Karamoja are being trained to help children learn through play, and lessons are underway on people’s doorsteps.

A teacher in Uganda sitting with a child supporting them as they are learning

"
We wanted to leave for a faraway place as there is nothing we can eat. However, when you came here and gave us advice on early education, we decided to stay. We will try to do the best for our children.
"

Children in Uganda using stones and bottle tops to make patterns on the ground

Loojo Betty is a parent in Karamoja and has also been trained as a teacher. Describing the challenges they face, she said, “We wanted to leave for a faraway place as there is nothing we can eat. However, when you came here and gave us advice on early education, we decided to stay. We will try to do the best for our children.”

By proving this model’s viability across both refugee camps and rural communities, we aim to create the opportunity for wider adoption across Uganda, so every child has the chance of the best start in life.

Double your impact this November

This November every single pound supporting our work in Karamoja will be doubled* by three generous foundations, so a gift of £10 will become £20 at no additional cost to you.

Back Karamoja's homegrown solutions and double your donation today.

DOUBLE MY DONATION

A teacher in Uganda sitting with a child passing them a bottle top

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a Child Protection Team meeting in Karamoja, members are sat at desks listening to a speaker

Protection starts at home

In the last 12 months, Child Protection Teams in Karamoja have helped over 6,450 children in their communities. From stopping incidents of trafficking and exploitation to supporting parents with safer ways to raise their children.
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Help rebuild drought-devastated vegetable gardens in Karamoja Uganda

Families in Karamoja, Uganda, are facing severe drought that has destroyed over 90% of local vegetable gardens and cut off vital income for school fees. Children on the Edge is raising funds this November to drill community-managed boreholes, helping parents replant their crops, restore lost income, and keep children safe.
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Surviving the Streets of Kampala: How 12-Year-Old Nivea is helping Karamoja’s Children stay in school

In Uganda’s Karamoja region, where over 74% of residents live in poverty, 12-year-old Ngorok Nivea has joined the fight against child exploitation. After escaping street work in Kampala, Nivea joined a Child Rights Club supported by her local Child Protection Team. Today, she is enrolled in school and uses her story to campaign for other children to stay safe from trafficking and thrive in their education.

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