Sponsor a Child
It’s easy to take education for granted – for so many of us, the right to go to school seems like a basic need. But for many children in Uganda, making it to secondary school is a privilege. Through KAASO’s Kiwi Sponsorships programme, you can sponsor a child through their secondary & vocational education, enabling them to continue their studies beyond primary school. We welcome sponsors from around the world to get behind KAASO’s students finishing their final year of primary school, giving them the chance to further their studies and graduate as independent, self-reliant professionals.
History of the Kiwi Sponsorships
IT STARTED WITH A LETTER
It was July 2009 and Emma Outteridge had been volunteering at KAASO for two months when one of the top pupils from the Primary Seven class came to her with a letter explaining that his father had died and his mother would be unable to afford to send him to secondary school the following year. Without help, his education would soon be ending. With a hopeful smile and a shaking hand, he delivered a letter asking Emma to sponsor him. His name was Henry.
Henry at KAASO in 2009
Henry at KAASO in 2009
IT STARTED WITH A LETTER
It was July 2009 and Emma Outteridge had been volunteering at KAASO for two months when one of the top pupils from the Primary Seven class came to her with a letter explaining that his father had died and his mother would be unable to afford to send him to secondary school the following year. Without help, his education would soon be ending. With a hopeful smile and a shaking hand, he delivered a letter asking Emma to sponsor him. His name was Henry.
A government school in Uganda
EDUCATION IN UGANDA
In Uganda there is ‘Universal Primary & Secondary Education’ which means that, in theory, education is free for all children. The reality however, is not so simple and most government schools face real challenges, resulting in high drop out rates. KAASO is a primary school that runs an incredible system whereby children who cannot afford to pay school fees are covered by the school and still given the right to a first-class education. However, there are no nearby secondary schools that operate in this way, so children finishing KAASO who have no parents to pay school fees either attend the very basic government secondary schools or drop out. Dreams of future careers and the financial stability they represent quickly dissolve.
A government school in Uganda
EDUCATION IN UGANDA
In Uganda there is ‘Universal Primary & Secondary Education’ which means that, in theory, education is free for all children. The reality however, is not so simple and most government schools face real challenges, resulting in high drop out rates. KAASO is a primary school that runs an incredible system whereby children who cannot afford to pay school fees are covered by the school and still given the right to a first-class education. However, there are no nearby secondary schools that operate in this way, so children finishing KAASO who have no parents to pay school fees either attend the very basic government secondary schools or drop out. Dreams of future careers and the financial stability they represent quickly dissolve.
HENRY WASN'T THE ONLY ONE NEEDING HELP
As the 2009 school year came to a close in November, Emma looked around the classroom of 49 students finishing their last year of primary school, and her heart broke at the realisation that many of them would be ending their education here as their parents or guardians could not afford secondary school fees. She agreed to sponsor Henry and spoke to Rose to see if there were more students like Henry needing assistance. Rose came back with a list of 18 names.
Emma with some of the students from the Kiwi Sponsorships at KAASO in 2013
THE KIWI SPONSORSHIPS WAS BORN
With Rose’s list in hand, Emma contacted everyone she knew and by the beginning of 2010, there were seven sponsored students attending secondary school. Leaving Uganda, Emma continued to talk about the children of KAASO to friends around the world and support grew. Each year she would return to visit the current sponsor students and match new sponsors with children finishing primary school.
THE KIWI SPONSORSHIPS TODAY
Today, the Kiwi Sponsorships has supported almost 100 students. As of late 2023, 27 students have graduated from the programme and 70 are actively studying. The Kiwi Sponsorships graduates are now out in the workforce, using their qualifications to start earning money to support themselves – and their families.
The 'Kiwi Girls' - Emma, Cherie and Kirsty in 2009
WHY IS IT CALLED THE KIWI SPONSORSHIPS?
Emma originally volunteered at KAASO with two fellow New Zealanders, Cherie Broome and Kirsty Pelenur, and the girls were known throughout the school and community as the ‘Kiwi Girls’. The new dormitory they fundraised for was named Kiwi House, so it was only a matter of time before this new sponsorship programme was named the ‘Kiwi Sponsorships’. While most of the sponsors were from New Zealand in the early days, today we have sponsors from all over the world, from Bermuda to Australia, from Canada to Greece.
Sponsoring through the Kiwi Sponsorships
Philosophy of the Kiwi Sponsorships
We create direct, personal relationships between each individual child and sponsor. Unlike many other sponsorship programmes, your money does not go into a pool for the community, it goes straight towards paying school fees for your child. Once you are sponsoring a child, it is a relationship for life. We encourage sponsors and students to stay in touch long after their financial support is over – the Kiwi Sponsorships builds family ties that transcend borders.
How it works
It’s incredibly simple – each year, sponsors deposit that year’s school fees into Emma’s designated Africa Account. She transfers that money directly to Rose at KAASO who then travels to each school to pay that student’s fees. One of the most important elements of the Kiwi Sponsorships is that every cent of sponsors’ money goes straight to the sponsored child – there are no administrative fees or hidden costs along the way.
DURATION
The sponsorship commitment is between 6 and 7 years, depending on the student’s chosen field of study. Each student will complete four years of secondary school, before branching off to join a vocational course of their choice. These vocational courses run for 2 to 3 years, depending on the course. This way, students ‘graduate’ from their sponsorships with a certification, a qualification that will allow them to immediately enter the workforce and begin earning money to support themselves – and, in most cases, their families. Students can then save towards upgrading their studies further down the track. Please note that when you take on a student to sponsor, you won’t know the exact duration of the sponsorship as it will depend on which vocational course your child elects to study – we do not require students to ‘lock in’ their courses upon finishing primary school when their sponsorship commences. Therefore, we ask sponsors to be flexible and to understand that we respect the student’s right to choose their own career path, however sponsors will be consulted before any courses are finalised.
COST
There is no fixed annual cost for a sponsorship as the fees for each student vary year to year and the exact cost (and breakdown) is passed onto the sponsor at the start of each school year. However, to give a rough estimate, the annual cost of each of the four years of secondary school is approximately USD $1,000 per year. Vocational courses range in price from around USD $1,200 per year for a course like teaching or mechanics (2 years), through to around USD $2,000 per year for nursing (2.5 years). While these costs are rather substantial, they are all-encompassing and include not only school tuition and boarding fees but also all school books, uniforms, requirements, meals, basic medical, stationary – i.e. everything the child needs to live at their boarding school or vocational college for a year. It is important for sponsors to be aware that fees do change each year as we pass on the exact costs from the schools and institutions to the sponsors – there is no ‘set price’ per year for a sponsorship and it will vary depending on the vocational course chosen.
MENTORING & SUPPORT
Every step of the way, Rose, Dominic and Emma are there to guide and support the sponsored students, many of whom come from difficult backgrounds. During the year, Rose and Dominic keep in touch with the students, monitoring their progress. Teacher Gerald, the Kiwi Sponsorships Liaison at KAASO, also helps to manage the Kiwi Sponsorships programme within Uganda and visits the children throughout the year. Emma also makes regular trips back to Uganda to see the students at both their schools and in their home villages. The Kiwi Sponsorships’ mission is to not only assist students financially but also to help mentor them and support them through life’s challenges. Emma sends out reports and photos to sponsors each year, updating them on their sponsor child’s progress and outlining the exact fees for the coming year.
Kiwi Sponsorships Graduates 2019
Deborah - Graduated with DIT Level 1 Tailoring, Fashion & Design from Temo Vocational Institute
Anthony - Graduated with a Diploma in Journalism from Datamine Technical Business School
In November 2019, we held the fifth Kiwi Sponsorships Graduation Ceremony, celebrating two more graduates to add to our previous 20 graduates. To date, we have had Kiwi Sponsorships students graduates in Nursing, Midwifery, Agriculture, Plumbing, Lab Technician Studies & Teaching.
The love, gratitude and hope that flow from the sponsor students and their families is overwhelming and we feel humbled to be changing lives, one student at a time.
We hope you will join us on this journey and help enable the students of KAASO to make their dreams come true.