Te-Kworo
Who is Te Kworo?
Alice Achan grew up as a traditional African girl in northern Uganda. She saw first hand the impact education could have on ending a cycle of poverty and after surviving decades of war in northern Uganda, Alice devoted her life to empowering and educating teenage mothers.
She established the charity in 2002 in order to care for the wellbeing of girls who had escaped captivity by the Lord’s Resistance Army, led by the infamous Joseph Kony.
Initially she gathered a group of women under a Kworo tree, Alice aimed to provide care for teenage survivors of abduction by the Lord’s Resistance Army. Most of these young mothers, aged between 12 and 16, had endured unimaginable trauma. Alice soon realized that access to education was essential for these girls to reclaim their lives.
Today, Te-Kworo operates three girls’ boarding schools, a Medical & Maternal Health Clinic, and an Agribusiness for Sustainable Education.
Girls’ Education
Te-Kworo’s boarding schools in Pader and Nwoya districts provide a safe and supportive learning environment for hundreds of girls who cannot access mainstream education due to abduction, early pregnancy, or extreme poverty. These schools offer a specialized curriculum that caters to the needs of young mothers, with on-site childcare facilities so they can leave their babies in safe hands while they study.
The vocational training centre in Kitgum provides girls with the skills they need to support themselves and their families. Educating girls creates benefits not only for them but for their entire communities.
Te-Kworo Medical and Maternal Health Centre
Serving a population of over 300,000 people in Pader District, the Te-Kworo Clinic is staffed by a dedicated team, including five midwives, medical officers, nurses, laboratory technicians, and support staff. The clinic provides essential services such as maternal health care, minor surgery, pediatric care, and reproductive health services.
The clinic’s outreach teams regularly travel to remote communities to educate families about reproductive health and provide medical care to vulnerable mothers and babies. Additionally, a life-saving ambulance service is on standby to transport patients in critical condition to nearby hospitals in Kalongo and Gulu.
In partnership with several Foundations, TeKworo is currently in the process of building a hospital in the area, expanding the healthcare support they can provide to the region.
Why are we partnering? — Every day in Uganda: 15 women die from pregnancy and childbirth related causes, 94 babies are stillborn and 81 newborn babies die.
These deaths are preventable.
Thanks to the establishment of the Maternal & Child Health project in 2016, there was a 475% increase in safe births in 2018.
Te-Kworo operates on the belief that educating a girl can transform her entire community. Over 1,000 girls have passed through Te-Kworo’s schools, and the foundation’s vision is to ensure that every girl in the area can access basic education by 2030. Alice’s personal journey, from war survivor to founder and director of Te-Kworo, is a testament to the power of education and resilience.
How can you help?
1. Sponsor a Girls’ Education – $750 per year
Scholarships cover tuition, accommodation, meals, books, uniforms, access to clean water and healthcare for a whole year. $750 gives a girl a chance to overcome poverty and build a brighter future.
2. New Dormitories for Senior 5 and 6 students – $26,271
In 2024, the first cohort of Senior 6 students will graduate from Kworo High School. By 2025, they’ll have over 90 girls in Senior 5 and 6, requiring new classrooms and dormitories to accommodate them. Partner with Te-Kworo to build the space senior students need to live and study comfortably, ensuring they have the best environment to succeed.
3. Graduate Nurse and Midwife Training
$50,000 will support 13 Kworo High School graduates to achieve their dreams by funding scholarships for a Certificate in Nursing or Midwifery. This specialized two-and-a-half-year degree provides training to become skilled, compassionate healthcare professionals. Your support will cover all tuition costs, enabling these students to gain employment, generate income, and improve their futures.
3. Water and Sanitation Infrastructure — $38,500 is needed
The 630 students at Kworo High School in Pader need improved water and sanitation facilities. With only one manual pump borehole, water collection is time-consuming and exhausting. Showers and bathrooms lack water connections, compromising hygiene. With your help, we can install an electric pump, add multiple water access points, and build additional latrines, significantly improving health, safety, and comfort for our students. $38,500 is needed.