An early start is the best start

1. An early start is the best start Building brighter beginnings

2. An early start is the best start Early learning makes all the difference In the UK we take the benefits and joys of pre-school education for granted, but in parts of Africa too many children start school without any concept of education, without knowing what to expect and without the confidence they need to do well.

3. An early start is the best start Early learning makes all the difference At Build Africa we know that learning through play during a child’s early years makes all the difference and greatly reduces the number of children underachieving in class or dropping out of school altogether.

4. An early start is the best start International Day of the African Child On 16 June this year Build Africa is launching an appeal to raise £100,000 to improve early learning opportunities for 6,000 rural Ugandan children. Uganda has the second highest primary school drop-out rate in the world. 

5. An early start is the best start Early learning makes all the difference Communities in rural Uganda simply don’t have the resources they need to provide for their youngest learners, meaning they are less likely to succeed at school. And without a good education will struggle to break out of the cycle of poverty.

6. An early start is the best start Early learning makes all the difference • In Uganda, only 14% of children are enrolled in pre-primary school or have access to any early childhood learning provision. • Parents don’t appreciate the value of educating their daughters because they didn’t get an education themselves. • Only 25% of Ugandan parents support learning at home.

7. An early start is the best start Early learning makes all the difference • There is a lack of early learning support in schools as teachers are not trained to cater for younger pupils. • Primary schools often suffer overcrowded classrooms - with up to 100 pupilsper class sometimes.

8. An early start is the best start Early learning makes all the difference • In some of the districts that we work in only 1 in every 100 students understand a simple English sentence by the end of their third year at primary school.

9. An early start is the best start Early learning makes all the difference • 20% of first year pupils at our Uganda supported schools have to retake their first year; repetition is often a precursor to dropout. • Only 23% of children in areas where we work in Uganda finish primary school. • Only 5% of children go on to complete secondary school on time and at the right age.

10. An early start is the best start Early learning makes all the difference • Approximately 85% of female pupils drop out before reaching P7 and late enrolment for girls increases the likelihood of early pregnancy (approximately 43% of the girls in Uganda fall pregnant before age 18).

11. An early start is the best start Proper foundations for learning Build Africa’s Early Learning campaign is an opportunity for your school to help us do something about this terrible waste of potential. By fundraising for us you can help us make a difference where it is needed most: providing early learning opportunities for 6,000 children in Uganda and giving them proper foundations for learning.

12. An early start is the best start Proper foundations for learning • Our solutions are simple and effective: • Train teachers so they can better support young children approaching their first day at primary school.

13. An early start is the best start Proper foundations for learning • Provide reading and numeracy materials so schools have the resources required for effective child engagement. • Train parents to create low cost reusable play and reading materials at home.

14. An early start is the best start Proper foundations for learning • Develop buddy clubs and peer leadership schemes so older children can support those just starting school. • Establish and equip parents clubs, helping those with young children to support their learning at home before they start school and during early years of primary.

15. An early start is the best start Proper foundations for learning Many of the 6,000 young children that will benefit from our campaign are from the most disadvantaged groups, such as child-headed households. These children’s families and communities will also benefit from improved education for many generations to come.

16. An early start is the best start • What can your money buy? • £200 could provide 40 early years’ textbooks to help bring lessons to life for a whole classroom • £400 could allow a school to hold two open days for parents to come and help develop child-friendly resources • £725 could train all the teachers at one school on early childhood support

17. An early start is the best start Promote global learning in your classroom Not only will you be raising funds for a worthwhile cause, you will also be giving your own pupils an invaluable insight into what life is like for young children in Africa.

18. An early start is the best start Promote global learning in your classroom Engage your pupils in the spiritual, moral, social and cultural (SMSC) component of the national curriculum with specially prepared lesson plans and activities for KS1, KS2 and KS3. Register at www.build-africa.org/IDAC14 to download free resources for International Day of the African Child, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and The Millennium Development Goals.

19. An early start is the best start International Day of the African Child Celebrated on 16 June every year to honour those who participated in the Soweto Uprising in 1976. It is a day to raise awareness of the continuing need for improvement of the education provided to African children.

20. An early start is the best start The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child Central to this convention is the acknowledgement that every child has basic fundamental rights; especially a right to education (Article 28).

21. An early start is the best start The Millennium Development Goals Build Africa’s Early Learning campaign will contribute towards MDG 2: “To achieve universal primary education” but more specifically, to “ensure that by 2015, children everywhere, boys and girls alike will be able to complete a full course of primary schooling."

22. An early start is the best start • The importance of early learning “Early learning is very important transitional period. The children learn counting and matching, reading and drawing. But they also begin to express themselves, to share and interact with one another, developing their self-confidence. These are important lessons for their later years at school. We get to know their weaknesses and strengths at an early age: we can help with the weaknesses and build on the strengths. A child who hasn’t been to an early learning class is at a disadvantage, having to learn all of this and catch up later on.” Wilson Katusabe, teacher at Kizibu Primary School

23. An early start is the best start Give them a head start rather than a false start • For more information about Build Africa’s Early Learning campaign please contact: • Deirdre Bruce-Brand • 01892 519 619 • schools@build-africa.org.uk • www.build-africa.org/IDAC14

24. An early start is the best start Build Africa – who we are • Established 1978 - 36 years International Development experience • Focus on sustainable, community led development • 2011 shortlisted for the Charity of the Year award and voted Best Charity to Work For at the Charity Times Awards • 2012 winner Charity Times Award for Best International Charity