SDG 4 · QUALITY EDUCATION
Community Education Access Pathways
Opening Doors to Learning in Kenya and Uganda
Every child and young person deserves the chance to learn. Right now, too many are shut out — in remote villages, dry lands regions, and crowded slum communities across Kenya and Uganda.
Civicom Aid Team works side by side with these communities to open six doors to learning: classrooms, toilets, water, supplies, scholarships, and youth hubs.
5,450+ students reached so far. Our goal: 10,000 by 2030.
- We work where we are invited. Every project starts with a request from the school or community, not the other way around.
- We show our work. Photos, budgets, and building plans for each project are open to view.
- We stay after the ribbon is cut. Classrooms and hubs are maintained through ongoing partnership, not left behind once built.
- 100% community-identified need. Community members, local leaders, youth, children, and teachers tell us what is needed most before we act.
WHO WE SERVE
We serve children and young people most often left out
- Out-of-school children — in remote villages, dry regions, and slum communities.
- Out-of-school youth — young people who finished primary school but have nowhere to go next.
- Children with disabilities — who face extra barriers to reaching and learning in a classroom.
- Refugee children — living in or near refugee camps.
Every Monday, a group of Grade 2 girls sets out on foot. They walk more than 15 kilometers round trip, carrying water back for the whole school. It is a long, tiring walk for children so young — and it happens every single week.
This water is not extra. It is what keeps the school clean. It is what the school needs to stay open and safe for every student.
THE CHALLENGE
Why children are missing school
Some schools have no classroom. Some have no clean water. Some have no toilet. Some have no desk, book, or pencil.
- Children have learned under trees for over two decades in some villages.
- Children without supplies write on the bare floor, and teachers mark work written on the floor.
- Children often walk more than 15 kilometers to fetch water that is not safe to drink — time that should be spent in class.
- Children without desks sit on dusty floor.
This problem does not stand alone. Poor schools, poor health, and poor income all feed each other. A child who walks 15 km for water cannot also study. A family without income cannot pay school fees.
THE CHALLENGE
Why youth get stuck after primary school
Many finish primary school and then stop. There are few scholarships. There is no computer hub nearby to train in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) or reach a university degree online.
- Youth cannot gain the skills that lead to steady work.
- Girls and youth with disabilities are pushed out first.
- Many leave their villages for crowded slum cities with no clear plan.
- Communities lose the very people who could help rebuild them.
This problem does not stand alone. A youth with no skills cannot earn. A youth who cannot earn cannot support a family. A family without income cannot pay school fees for the next child. The cycle turns again.
THE CHALLENGE
Why Parents Get Stuck Building a Better Future for Their Family
Many parents want more for their children, but daily survival leaves no room to plan ahead.
- Most families depend on farming or small trade that barely covers food, let alone school fees.
- When a child is sick, or the harvest fails, school is the first thing a family gives up.
- Parents without steady income cannot save, so one bad season can undo years of progress.
- With no support nearby, families face these problems alone, year after year.
WHAT WE DO
We remove the barriers that keep children and youth out of school.
Six Ways We Open Doors to Learning
We equip youth with practical skills to secure employment and build sustainable livelihoods, while helping children stay in school. Together, these efforts create a ripple effect that empowers individuals, strengthens families, and transforms marginalized communities.
Build & Renovate Schools — We build missing school buildings and repair worn-down ones, so students learn in safe, dignified spaces.
BYU Online Degrees — We connect out-of-school youth to accredited online degrees through Brigham Young University, putting a university education within reach.
Water Points — We install water points at schools that have none, easing the daily burden on students and lowering the risk of disease for the whole community.
STEM Training — We train young people in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) skills that lead directly to jobs, income, and stronger, more self-reliant communities.
Supplies for Children — We provide desks, books, and materials to children who currently sit and write on the floor.
Scholarships — We provide education grants, so children and young people who can't afford school fees can stay in school and build a future.
5,450+ students reached with access to education across Kenya and Uganda.
How One Classroom Can Change a Village
Step 1 — Access
If children gain safe classrooms, clean water, learning materials, and safe toilets, then they can stay in school, learn well, and finish their education.
Step 2 — Skills
If youth gain training in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), along with scholarships and access to university degrees, then they can build real skills and open doors to further learning.
Step 3 — Income
If youth gain skills and finish their education, then they gain the confidence to find jobs, earn income, and support their families.
Step 4 — Community Cycle
If communities see their young people succeed, then they invest even more in education — creating a cycle that lifts the whole community for generations.
How One School Toilet Can Change a Village
Step 1 — Dignity
If schools gain safe, private toilets, then girls and children with disabilities no longer stay home out of fear or shame.
Step 2 — Attendance
If children no longer miss school for lack of a toilet, then they attend more consistently and fall behind less.
Step 3 — Health
If schools have safe toilets, then fewer children fall sick from poor sanitation, and fewer school days are lost to illness.
Step 4 — Community Cycle
If communities see healthier, more confident children, then they trust schools more and support them for the long term.
How One Youth Hub Can Change a Village
Step 1 — Access
If youth gain access to a local computer and training hub, then they can learn Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) skills without leaving their village.
Step 2 — Skills
If youth train in STEM and study for scholarships or university degrees, then they build real, usable skills for the future.
Step 3 — Income
If youth gain these skills, then they find steady work, earn income, and support their families.
Step 4 — Community Cycle
If young people succeed close to home, then fewer leave for crowded cities, and communities keep the talent they need to grow.
How One School Water Point Can Change a Village
Step 1 — Time
If schools gain a safe water point on site, then children no longer walk hours each week to fetch water.
Step 2 — Learning
If children keep their time for school instead of walking for water, then they attend more classes and learn more.
Step 3 — Health
If schools have clean water, then children and staff stay healthier, and the school itself stays clean and safe.
Step 4 — Community Cycle
If a school runs well and children thrive, then families trust it more and stay invested in their children's education.
Our goal
Reach 10,000 students with improved access to education by 2030 — measured by classrooms built or repaired, water points installed, supplies delivered, scholarships awarded, youth trained in STEM, and BYU online degrees started.
Why this goal matters
A child who learns to read, write, and reason grows into an adult who can support a family, run a business, or teach the next generation. Without education, poverty repeats itself. With it, whole communities move forward together.
Where we work right now
We work in remote rural villages, dryland regions, and slum communities across Kenya and Uganda.
Our current projects include:
Kyani Nyanza Primary School
Joyland School
Likoni Youth Hub
How You Can Help
How You Can Help
You can support this work in several ways:
Sponsor or adopt a school
Start a fundraiser in your community or network
Donate school supplies — notebooks, pens, pencils, rulers, school bags, toys, and balls
Share our projects with others who might want to get involved
Volunteer your time and skills
Intern with us and gain hands-on experience
UGANDA
🇺🇬 Kyani Nyanza Primary School — Uganda
Parents in this remote village founded Kyani Nyanza Primary School in 1995, so their children could learn where no school existed. Classes began under a tree, with ten students and one teacher who had left high school for lack of tuition money.
By 1999, the school had over 230 students and two untrained teachers. Today, it serves more than 2,500 students a year — supported by just one government headteacher and four teachers.
What students face today:
| Issue | Impact |
|---|---|
| No classrooms | 2,500+ students study under trees, exposed to sun, rain, and wind. Many drop out. |
| No toilets | Infections rise and girls miss school. |
| No water point | Students walk 15 km a day for water that often carries disease. |
| Too few teachers | One headteacher and four teachers serve over 2,500 students. |
What the school needs:
- Classrooms, so students stay in school through rain and sun.
- Proper toilets, so girls stop missing school.
- A safe water point, so children learn instead of walking for water.
- An administration block, so staff can plan and manage the school.
- A computer lab, so students can reach STEM training and online degrees.
The change the community wants: A school where every child learns in a safe classroom, drinks clean water, and gains the skills to lead Kyani village forward.
How it will happen: Civicom Aid works with parents, teachers, AWB Seattle, local leaders, development partners, and volunteers to fix what puts children most at risk first — classrooms, water, and toilets — then adds the computer lab and administration block.
Request for additional details and construction budget.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1KroEu52SmLbRCiwv_uTRkv1J8__GCamS/view?usp=drive_link
Download the building plan
🇰🇪 Joyland School — Kenya
Joyland School sits in the Likoni slum region of Kenya. It teaches children in pre-primary, primary, and junior classes.
The school was founded on September 8, 2008, to give out-of-school and marginalized children a place to learn. Classes began under a tree, with ten students and one teacher — a young man who had left high school himself for lack of tuition money.
The school has grown steadily ever since:
- 2008: 10 students, 1 teacher, classes held under a tree.
- 2012: Over 120 students, taught by 2 experienced teachers.
- Today: More than 520 students a year, taught by 12 experienced teachers.
The need today
The pre-primary classroom is worn down. Children sit on a bare floor with no tables or chairs, which discourages young learners from attending. The school toilets are also damaged and need urgent repair — without them, girls are especially at risk of urinary tract infections and other illness.
What Pre-Primary 1 needs
Classroom renovation
- Renovate the pre-primary classroom, so children have a safe, warm space to start learning.
- Provide 5 tables and 30 chairs, so children can sit and write with dignity.
- Lay new floor tiles, so children learn in a clean, safe space.
School toilets
- Build 18 new school toilets, so every child has a clean, private, and safe place to go — and girls no longer miss school because of it.
KENYA
Likoni Youth Hub
Likoni Youth Hub gives out-of-school youth in Kenya a place to learn digital skills, train for work, and build income. Right now, the hub has no proper computer room, no training room, and too few toilets. Youth who want to learn have nowhere safe and equipped to go.
The youth's problems
- No computer room, so youth cannot gain digital or STEM skills.
- No training room, so group classes and mentorship cannot happen.
- Too few toilets, so the space is not safe or dignified for youth, especially young women.
The suggested solutions
- Computer room (18 ft L × 18 ft W × 11 ft H) — to give youth a dedicated space to learn digital skills and connect to BYU online degrees.
- Training room (18 ft L × 18 ft W × 11 ft H) — to host skills classes, mentorship, and group learning.
- 3 toilets (6 ft L × 4.5 ft W × 10 ft H each) — to keep the hub clean, safe, and open to all youth.
The difference it will bring
With these spaces, youth in Likoni can train, earn, and reinvest in their community — the ripple effect our theory of change describes.
CIVICOM AID Equipping vulnerable communities in Kenya and Uganda with access to education, sustainable agriculture, and income-generating opportunities.
Email: info@civicom.org
Call/WhatsApp: +254 797 946 000