School Materials

This EdforDev project provides schools with basic physical resources including furnishings (e.g., desks, chalk boards, book shelves), equipment (e.g., computers, science equipment, copy machines), supplies (e.g., chalk, paper, lab supplies), and both text and library books.

In the spring of 2004, EdforDev collected and shipped 110 lbs. of basic school supplies to schools near Mbale, Uganda.  These were donated by students at Smith College in Northampton, MA.  While EdforDev continues to collect supplies in the U.S. for schools abroad, we hope to purchase most basic supplies in schools' home countries to benefit the local economies.

(EdforDev also provided a donated new laptop computer to the headmaster of Kikaaya College School in 2004, and trained him and the school's faculty and staff to use computers in their work.)

Uganda, like many countries, has a fixed secondary school curriculum and syllabus.  Many of the required books are published only in Uganda, ,making it difficult for schools to rely on donations from abroad to acquire an adequate supply of current texts.  Below is a brief list of some basic books required by the Ugandan syllabus:

Title	Price/unit Uganda Shilling	Approx. Price/unit US Dollars
School Mathematics of East Africa Books I-IV	26,500	$15
Integrated English Books I-IV	15,500	$10
Geography of Africa	27,500	$15
New Biology for Tropical Schools	26,700	$15
Essentials of Commerce in East Africa	13,200	$10

All prices in Uganda Shillings are from Aristoc Book Store, the country's major book seller, located in Kampala, Uganda.

Both Kikaaya and Namirama schools are in great need of books, but they also need adequate storage to preserve books they already have as well as any new ones.   Bookshelves and desks can usually be constructed in the local communities, even more cheaply than purchased, if wood and nails are purchased.  On average, a kilogram of nails costs a little over US$1.  Timber is of course more expensive and prices vary considerably depending on the area.