About us
Unity is Strength is a UK-registered charity that supports St Paul KAASO, a primary school in the small, rural village of Kabira, southern Uganda.
About us
Unity is Strength is a UK-registered charity that supports St Paul KAASO, a primary school in the small, rural village of Kabira, southern Uganda.
We are a small, voluntary-run charity with oodles of passion
We have worked with KAASO since 2011 in a variety of capacities
We listen and are led by our partners in Uganda
About St Paul KAASO
St. Paul KAASO (Kabira Adult Attention & School for Orphans) is a unique community project in Uganda that provides education and mentorship to orphans and disadvantaged children in one of the areas hardest-hit by the HIV/AIDS crisis.
KAASO is first and foremost a primary school, but relies on an interconnected network of community initiatives to keep the school running and the level of education high.
Dominic and Rose Mukwaya, August 2011
KAASO was started in 1999 by Dominic and Rose Mukwaya (above), two Ugandan teachers, who opened their home as a school. They began with just 12 children and by the end of the first year there were 49 students.
Classes were taught in a thatched roof hut and resources were extremely limited, but Dominic and Rose persevered. Their mission was to ensure that even those unable to pay school fees would get the education they deserved.
Today, KAASO educates over 700 primary school children every year, charging fees only to those who can afford to pay and supporting those who cannot.
Dominic and Rose are the joint Directors of KAASO and we work with them closely to ensure our funds deliver the greatest impact.
About Unity is Strength
The idea for Unity is Strength came about during Lizzie Hulton-Harrop’s visit to KAASO in 2019. Lizzie first went to KAASO in 2011 and over the years has supported the school through a variety of initiatives.
Together with Dominic and Rose, it was decided that a good way forward would be to set up a registered charity in England that could support KAASO through regular donations and small fundraising events. In January 2020, Unity is Strength was born.
Dominic and Lizzie, August 2014
Where does the name, Unity is Strength, come from?
From 2013-14 Lizzie worked at Northbourne Park School in Kent as a Graduate Assistant. During this time, she was delighted to be able to fundraise for KAASO by organising events for the students, teachers and parents. Towards the end of her time at Northbourne, the Headteacher suggested we set up a Partnership between the two schools.
Lizzie was initially hesitant about this idea given the nature of some Global North-South school partnerships, so she decided to dedicate her Masters research project to the subject. Working closely with the teachers and staff at both KAASO and Northbourne, a strong foundation was built upon which the schools could work together in true partnership. The tagline of the Partnership is Unity is Strength.
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