Solidarity Uganda

Mission

To empower communities with alternative transformational educational experiences useful for cultivating holistic peace and justice throughout Uganda.

Vision

A united Uganda actively pursuing the full joy of God through liberating itself from all forms of oppression.

Description

Solidarity Uganda's first chapter, NOTE (Northern Operations for Transformational Education - meaning "unity" in Luo), falls within the category of holistic community and human development. It is specifically targeted at educating the most vulnerable and socio-politically oppressed communities through the alternative styles of discussion-based “problem-posing” education. The pedagogical methods of such community-based classes employ cross-cultural interactions among various stigmatized groups within the Ugandan population. This method of educating people for the transformation of their reality has been particularly useful among oppressed and neglected communities in the two-thirds world, utilizing informal venues, contextual subjects of study, and the mutually active participation of both students and the teachers who facilitate discussion-based curricula. Our philosophy incorporates reflection (theory) with action (practice) to achieve more holistic freedom, resilience, access, and interdependence. Such methods employed elsewhere have contributed to the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa, peacemaking efforts in Liberia, the Civil Rights Movement among African-Americans, various nonviolent revolutions in Latin America, and resistance efforts to depose dictators and dismiss occupying military forces all around the world. Uganda is seeing the beginning sparks of liberation kindle the inferno of freedom, and projects such as NOTE will help determine whether these endeavors are successful.