WatuDev Initiatives

In late 2019, the world became aware of a new virus called COVID-19 which quickly spread across the globe. It wasn't long before the first case of the virus was reported in Uganda. By March of 2020, the Government of Uganda had put drastic measures in place to contain the spread of the virus including restricting public movement, announcing a nationwide lockdown, closure of public gatherings, and the compulsory wearing of facemasks in public places. Most notably, all schools and learning institutions were directed to close with immediate effect.

Without sufficient notice time to prepare for such a drastic measure, the education sector was left scrambling to find ways to continue educating students while keeping them safe from the virus. As a result of the COVID-19-induced lockdown in Uganda, learners across the country were unable to attend physical classes. This meant missing out on critical learning opportunities that had the potential to turn around their futures for the better.

The plight of Uganda's children missing out on life-changing educational opportunities due to the COVID-19 pandemic inspired the creation of Kusoma Online, (www.kusomaonline.com) an e-learning platform designed to ensure that students in underserved communities across Uganda can continue learning despite the pandemic. Kusoma Online's core objectives was to provide access to low-cost quality education resources to students in Uganda even during COVID-19 school closure.

A team of dedicated and experienced educators and technologists came together to design, develop, and deploy Kusoma Online. To achieve their objectives, they researched and designed a platform that was highly engaging and user-friendly, with a focus on providing quality educational content for students in primary and secondary schools. Through this effort, over 10,000 learners have been able to access learning materials, have access to practice questions and do quizzes to make progress in their learning.

In early 2022, the government of Uganda finally announced the re-opening of schools almost two years after the initial COVID-19 lockdown declaration; the longest period of school closures worldwide. The re-opening of schools brought to light the devastating reality and depth the COVID-19 pandemic had on education in Uganda, particularly in rural areas where access to technology and e-learning platforms such as Kusoma Online remained limited. Although hundreds learners had benefited from the online platforms, thousands more had lost valuable learning time and were as such lagging far behind their schooling and education milestones. In mid-2022, Kusoma Online rebranded to WatuDev Initiatives; a name that better reflects their expanded mission beyond providing e-learning resources to students.

WatuDev comes from the Swahili word Watu which means people and the word Dev being short for Development, highlighting the organization's commitment to people-centered development. Our work at WatuDev initiatives is aimed at Breaking Barriers and Building Futures by Increasing Access to Education and Livelihood Services for All in Uganda.

WatuDev Initiatives is a female-led, impact-driven nonprofit organization registered with the Uganda Registration Services Bureau. We believe that that every individual should have access to equal opportunities and be treated with dignity, regardless of their race, gender, socioeconomic status, or any other characteristic. We envision a world in which all people have pathways to opportunity and dignity. Our mission is to expand access to proven education and livelihood services in underserved communities in Uganda.

Education and livelihood services are crucial for the well-being and prosperity of individuals and communities, particularly those that are marginalized or underserved. Evidence-based interventions have the power to transform lives and communities. Proven solutions to improve education and livelihood outcomes already exist. WatuDev Initiatives identifies and replicates proven, cost-effective education and livelihood interventions and partners with communities to deliver tailored solutions where they are most needed.

Our Flagship Program, the School Transition and Resilience Program, embodies our multi-pronged approach improving education outcomes for vulnerable populations in Uganda. The Program incorporates the latest evidence on learning and development, key predictors of positive resilience, and strategies to enhance learning and resilience for children as they transition through school. Through our School Transition and Resilience Program, we

1. improve core foundational skills for children by Teaching at the Right Level, conducting life skills mentoring and project based leaning
2. Improve access to education resources through the school improvement scorecard and our digital learning Platform.

In early 2023, we run a pilot of our School Transition and Resilience Program in select schools in Bukomansimbi District in Central Uganda, working closely with local education officials, teachers, parents and children. Over 225 lower primary learners have received literacy and numeracy competence based support tailored to each of their individual needs. This intervention has resulted in significant improvements in student learning outcomes, with learners achieving over 20% improvement in literacy and numeracy by the mid-term assessment; a critical boost in efforts to catch up on learning lost due to COVID 19. Our goal is to scale this program to reach over 1,000 learners with literacy, numeracy, and digital skills per year over the next three years.
In the latter half of 2023, we will be working in close collaboration with school stakeholders of three primary schools to design and implement school Action Plans based off of the school improvement scorecard to improve access to education resources; support 10 educators in Uganda to access and actively engage with digital learning resources and support Gateway integrated schools towards the completion of their startup and infrastructure development plans.

As we continuously assess, iterate and work towards scale we aim to improve the core foundational skills of 50, 000 children and improve the access to educational resources for 2,000 learners and teachers by 2025.