TESS v2

A Brief History of Teso

Uganda is a land-locked country in East Africa about the same size as the United Kingdom, but with a population of about 28 million and life expectancy of only 46. It is the 17th poorest country in the world - and Teso is one of the poorest areas of Uganda. Uganda is bounded by Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, DR Congo, and Sudan.

Teso is a fertile region in the north east of Uganda and is made up from 6 districts. Although its name is often confused with Tesco (a big UK supermarket chain), it has nothing to do with Tesco! Teso is bordered in the north and east by the semi-arid region of Karamoja. The majority of people living in Teso are the Iteso who speak Ateso. But there is also a different, smaller tribal group living alongside the Iteso called the Kumam who speak Kumam, a language related to Luo. Over the past 20 years, the people of Teso have often suffered from being marginalised as well as from lack of resources, drought and famine, conflicts and cattle raiding.

Historical background to problems in Teso
Historically, the Iteso people were pastoralists descended from the Karimojong tribe, migrating southwards about four centuries ago in search of better pasture for their animals. They found a fertile area, where they became settled farmers, able to grow a variety of crops as well as graze their livestock. Their wealth lay in their cattle.

Karimojong raids
Since then, the Karimojong have been raiding the cattle of Teso, trying to retrieve "their lost animals" from the generations before. This was a mutual "sport" until the overthrow of Amin in 1979, when fleeing soldiers left their armouries open in Karamoja and the local spears were replaced by guns. Karimojong raids into Teso then became increasingly aggressive, largely because of the devastating effect of the gun. About 80,000 Iteso have now been living in camps for up to 20 years for greater safety.

Years of insurgency
In 1988, the new President Museveni sent in the Ugandan Army to help prevent Karimojong raids. Unfortunately, this only exacerbated the situation, and there was raiding and pillaging by the army and the formation of rebel groups in Teso. Thousands were caught in the middle and many were killed. This was followed by a government decision to force most of the people of Teso into designated areas so that the army could then operate a "scorched earth policy" to eradicate the rebels. However, no provision was made for shelter, food, water, sanitation, health or education. Thousands died of disease or were killed when going out to find food; thousands more fled out of Teso. HIV/AIDS was also introduced into the area during this time.

Rehabilitation during ten years of relative stability
During the 10 years of relative stability between 1993 - 2003, with the help of Teso Development Trust (TDT) and a few other aid agencies and NGOs, the people of Teso were able to rebuild their lives and homes, schools, clinics and boreholes, as well as cultivating the land, restocking with goats and some cattle and developing the economy in the areas not affected by continuing Karimojong raids.

Invasion by the LRA rebels
However, tragedy struck again on 15th June 2003, when the so-called "Lord's Resistance Army" (LRA) invaded Teso from the northwest. The LRA had waged an evil campaign of terror since 1987 - child abduction, mutilation, murder and general destruction - in their own tribal area of Acholi in northern Uganda and later in Lango. Although the LRA met with such resistance in Teso that they were gone by January 2004, their widespread vicious attacks and abductions left Teso devastated once again. Thousands were killed and abducted, including many children, and hundreds of thousands fled southwards. Once again, about 300,000 people were displaced within their own region, living without any provision for the basic necessities of life. And once again, TDT did much to lobby and raise funds for emergency relief. Most of what the people had worked so hard to achieve in the past 10 years was destroyed again.

Displaced people still in camps
Although the LRA is no longer a threat, thousands remain in camps, either because they have no resources to return home and start again, re-building homes and cultivating, or because of continuing fear of Karimojong raids.

TDT is again involved in helping displaced people return home as well as supporting communities and families in various ways, such as small loans, improving water supplies, sponsoring secondary education of orphans and other vulnerable children, supporting new schools and re-stocking with goats and oxen for ploughing.

Click on About TDT to find out more about the work of Teso Development Trust.

Children are the innocent victims
Thousands of children have been orphaned because of the conflicts, AIDS and other diseases, and are living below the absolute poverty level, with no hope for the future because they cannot continue in education beyond primary school. It is often the girls who suffer the most, with few, if any, choices in life. Every family is struggling to cope with caring for their own children, but they also all have responsibility for extra orphans.
Primary education is free, but secondary education is beyond the means of many families, especially when caring for orphans as well.

Teso is about the size of East Midlands, it is mainly flat, but has some large lakes, swamps and beautiful huge rocky outcrops but no rivers. There is only one proper town - Soroti - with only one tarmac road into Teso from the south to Soroti.

There is electricity and piped water (some of the time) in parts of Soroti, Kumi and Ngora. People have to walk long distances to collect water, which is not often clean or safe to drink.

Parts of Teso are very dry and often suffer drought. There is a mixture of savannah and wooded areas, altough many trees have been cut down to provide firewood and building materials.

Background to Education in Uganda

All Primary Education is free, but not compulsory, but parents still have to pay for school uniforms, stationery and contributions to help provide some basic facilities. This is beyond the means of many families. Older girls are also often required to stay at home to help care for younger children, especially if one of the parents has died.

Children do not usually start school until they are 6, although many start much older that that. They have 7 years in primary school (called P1-P7) at the end of which they take a national exam in four subjects (written in English) called the Primary Leaving Exam (PLE) in November. The lower the aggregate - in four subjects - the better the result, an aggregate of 4 being the best possible score. Aggregates of less than 13 are excellent (especially when the girls have been learning in very difficult circumstances); 14-20 are good and 21-25 are average.

Children start learning English in P1 and most schools teach in English from P4 or P5 if not before.

Class sizes can be from 80 to 200, with one or two teachers. They have few, if any, resources and learning is done by rote.

Murals on walls replace text books. Some work is done in excercise books.

Science teaching is very basic in many schools and even good schools have very poor facilities and lack text books in all subjects, which even for teachers, is a problem.

All Secondary Education is in English and has to be paid for - a problem for poor families and orphans. S1 - S4 are the 4 years in secondary school leading to the Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) which is like the old UK GCE "O" level exams. Grades 1 & 2 are equivent to an "A", 3 & 4 to a "B" and 5 & 6 to a "C". S5 - S6 are the two years equivalent to the UK sixth form which end with taking the equivalent "A" level exams. Most students now take 4 subjects which qualify them to go on to university - subject to having the required funding.

Many secondary schools are, by necessity, boarding schools or have hostels attached; most are mixed. However, it is not uncommon for children to walk for up to two hours each way to school. Where a family can only manage to send one or perhaps two children to secondary school, they will inevitably send the boys.

It is normal for people to help each other out as much as possible to pay for fees and uniform etc.

Most families are caring for one or more orphans (used in the strict meaning of having lost one or both parents) in addition to their own children.

The first term S1 starts at the begining of February. It is a very difficult time for families as there is the extra cost of uniform and all other requirements. It also coincides with the end of the long dry season. People try to sell any surplus food and animals to raise fees, so prices drop, making it more difficult.

It makes for an unsatisfactory start to the school year as students trickle into school as and when their families can raise part of their fees. Students are "chased" away if they have not completed paying their fees.

The hospitals are quiet at this time because families are trying to send their children to secondary school and therefore don't have spare money for treatment

The Support Programme

So many leaders in the Teso region are saying the same thing- secondary education is the top priority, especially for bright girls in the permenant refugee camps in Katakwi, Amuria, and the more remote areas of Kaberamaido. The Director of the Development Office is saying that the education of bright children is now an even greater priority in many areas of Teso than the wide variety of development projects which TDT has traditionally supported.

In 2004 at the request of church leaders in Teso who see the education of bright children, especially girls, as being the key to all long term development and the future hope of Teso,TDT set up a sponsorship programme, now known as the Teso Educational Support Scheme (TESS), which enables very needy children to benefit from post-primary education.

This program under the direction of the UK project co-ordinator, Mrs Margaret Stevens and the Diocesan Education Officers, is becoming very successful with sponsors from the USA, UK, Ireland and Germany as well as single donations being received from fund raising events.

Now in its sixth year, there are 215 girls and 35 boys being sponsored in secondary and technical schools, vocational institutions, colleges and universities.

For those who are not so bright, there are alternatives such as Junior Technical School for four years (practical subjects are taught in addition to the basic academic subjects, so equipping them to earn a living by some trade) or a Technical Institute after S4 instead of doing 'A' levels.

Those who complete six years at secondary school need further sponsoring to do a two or three year diploma course or even a degree course. We therefore aim to equip them all to earn a living, and start supporting their families and paying fees for younger members, as well as contributing to the economy and development of Teso, through the use of the skills and knowledge they have gained.

Visit our How you can help page for further details

Each December, a Retreat (like a summer school) is held for those in S1, S3, S4 and S6. A total of about 180 children spend 8 days on a residential course having a wide range of extra-curricular talks and activities as well as health checks.

Visit The Retreats pages for more information