Help Children with Learning Difficulties in Uganda

Dear friend,

Happy New Year!
How did 2026 start for you? We hope you felt well-rested, spent time with loved ones, and enjoyed lots of yummy food over the holidays.

We’re starting the year with some very exciting news to share with you!

In case you haven’t heard yet: Backup Uganda is expanding!
In partnership with Association Omoana, and with funding from the Geneva Federation for Cooperation and Development, we will be working with 30 primary schools across Kitgum, Omoro, and Nwoya districts over the next three years.

This is a huge step for us—and your support played a major role in making it possible. Because you continue to believe in our work, we’ve been able to show just how important inclusive education is for learners, teachers, and communities. Thank you for helping us get here

This expansion isn’t just about adding more schools. We’re also strengthening and broadening our approach by offering more holistic support, including:

• A stronger focus on social inclusion among learners, and

• Improved referral pathways for children with learning difficulties and disabilities across all three districts.

While we wait for the new school year to begin in early February, our team is busy laying the groundwork for these big steps. Right now, we’re:

• Growing our team,

• Signing agreements with district authorities,

• Inviting schools to apply to join our training program, and

• Developing the tools and systems needed to make everything run smoothly.

So… do we still need your support?
Yes, we do!

Every contribution continues to make a real difference. For example, your generous donations on GivingTuesday added up to over $500, which we’ll use to organize Inclusion Re-Ignited—an inspiration event on inclusive education for teachers from our partner schools up to 2025. This event will be all about re-energizing teachers, sharing good practice, and reminding them that inclusive classrooms truly matter.

Thank you for starting 2026 alongside us. We can’t wait to show you what’s next. If you'd like a more detailed update, you are more than welcome to join our Backup Family Meeting at 4.00pm EAT tomorrow (Friday 9th January) via this link.

Much love,

The Backup Uganda Team

Hello friend!

It’s been an inspiring few months here at Backup Uganda, and we’re so excited to share what your support has made possible. Because of you, more teachers, parents, and community members are learning how to identify and support learners with learning  difficulties and disabilities—and that’s creating real change in classrooms across Northern Uganda.

Dyslexia Awareness Day – Gulu, 12th September
This year’s Dyslexia Awareness Day was a big success! Over 150 participants—including teachers, education students, parents, and other professionals—joined us in Gulu to learn more about identifying dyslexia and supporting learners who experience it. The energy in the room was incredible, and many left feeling more confident and motivated to make their classrooms and homes more inclusive.

Inclusion Monday – Learning Together, Online
We’ve also kept the learning going through our Inclusion Monday webinars. In recent months, we’ve hosted two sessions:

• One on mental health and learning difficulties & disabilities, and
• Another on the role of teachers in fostering inclusive classrooms.
  These interactive sessions are open to everyone, and it’s been wonderful to see everyone coming together online to exchange ideas and learn from each other. You can sign up here if you want to join the next one!

Inclusive Technical & Vocational Education
In July, we teamed up with Gulu University to organize a 2-day training for parents, caregivers, educators, and government officials. Together, we explored how technical and vocational education can be made more inclusive for learners with different learning needs. The discussions were lively, and participants left with practical strategies to make sure everyone gets a fair chance at success.

Wrapping Up the School Year
The final school term of the year has just begun, which means our team is busy wrapping up workshops, lesson observations, and evaluation meetings with our partner schools. It’s a great time to reflect on the progress made so far and to celebrate the teachers who continue to put inclusive education into action every single day.

We couldn’t do any of this without you.
Thank you for believing in our mission and standing with us as we build a more inclusive education system in Uganda—one workshop, one teacher, and one learner at a time.

Much love,
The Backup Uganda Team