ABOUT US
Frequently Asked Questions
I would like to sponsor a student. What’s the next step?
If you have a specific student in mind, great! If not, please get in touch with us and we can help you choose a student to sponsor, or select one for you. You can then make your contribution on our website’s Donate page. After we have received your donation, you will receive a welcome packet via e-mail with a letter, a photograph of your student, and information regarding the sponsorship. Sponsorships are one year in length and may be renewed annually.
I am interested in traveling to Uganda. Can I volunteer abroad with the Mtaala Foundation?
Mtaala Foundation does not currently have a formal volunteer abroad program. However, if you are planning to travel to Uganda, we encourage you to contact us before your trip. It may be possible to arrange a visit to our school or a meeting with our staff in Uganda during your stay.
How can I become a volunteer?
There are a number of ways to help. If you are interested in answering directly to the Mtaala Foundation as a volunteer, please contact us directly. If you would like to work independently to help the Mtaala Foundation, you are also welcome to do so. Our two greatest needs are always fundraising and raising awareness. You can learn more about the many opportunities to get involved here. We look forward to hearing about your work.
Do you accept material donations?
People often ask if they can ship items to our school in Uganda. We are only able to accept certain donated items, so please contact us before sending anything. (Some items, like clothes, are easily purchased within the country.) However, we are in need of others resources, such as books. Books are a precious resource in education, and are costly to purchase in Uganda and expensive to ship.
If you would like to help, consider gathering material resources and raising the funds to ship them to our facilities in Uganda. To learn more about the resources needed, check out our school wish list. Again, please contact us before gathering materials so that your efforts can be as effective as possible.
Why does the Mtaala Foundation work with secondary students?
Uganda currently has Universal Primary Education (UPE), which was implemented to provide free primary education to all Ugandan children. While the program has not been fully successful in its implementation, the state of secondary education in Uganda is even more dire. Only 40% of primary students go on to complete secondary school. Most children cannot afford the tuition, fees for books, uniforms, and school supplies, and room and board.
Although secondary students are just as needy as primary students, their needs are addressed much less frequently by nonprofit organizations. We never cease to be amazed at the efforts of our students to succeed in school and complete their degrees, despite the significant trials that they face along the way.
Are all of your students orphans or former child soldiers?
Due to widespread poverty, disease, and lack of education, there is an immense need among most Ugandan children, whether they have been orphaned, or abducted and forced to fight as child soldiers, or have lived with their parents and siblings for their entire lives. The Mtaala Foundation works with all of these children. Many of our students have lost one or more parents (often to HIV/AIDS) and a number of them have directly suffered from the brutalities of Uganda’s civil war.
How is secondary education structured in Uganda?
Secondary schools in Uganda have six grade levels. (Primary schools have seven.) The six secondary levels are Senior One, Senior Two, and so on. Unlike many countries in North America and Europe, grade levels are not determined by age. Because so many students drop out of school so they can work to help their families or earn money to pay their own school fees, it is not uncommon for an eighteen-year-old student to have several years left in secondary school. Our student sponsorship program relieves a huge burden from our students and allows them to focus on their education.
What does “mtaala” mean?
“Mtaala,” pronounced mah-tah-lah, means “learning” in Swahili.
ABOUT US
230 Kings Highway East #136 Haddonfield NJ 08033 USA Registered 501(c)3 Charity No. 0101002595
1 Glyn House, 43 Burgh Heath Rd, Epsom, Surrey, KT17 4LY, UK | Registered Charity No. 1138251
P.O. Box 31434 Kampala, Uganda Registered NGO No. S.5914/5727
© 2009 Mtaala Foundation