User:Meganryder/sandbox

History
Soft Power Education was founded in 1999 by Hannah Small, and their first program was the construction of the Buwenda Pre-School for orphans and vulnerable children in Jinja, Uganda. Small turned full-time to helping contribute to Ugandan communities she saw during her career as an overland driver and giving tourists a chance to give back to the community. The organization’s mission of building and renovating primary schools was a response to the Universal Primary Education (UPE) program instituted in 1997 by the Ugandan government. This program guaranteed free primary school education to the first four children in a family, but school buildings had to meet certain requirements before they could qualify for government funding. SPE began to build and renovate schools so that they could provide free primary education to local children. Based in Bujagali, near Jinja, Uganda, SPE has continued to grow, building another preschool and renovating about 60 government-funded public schools in the area.

In 2007, SPE began operating in Buliisa district in northwestern Uganda. The program in this area supports primary school infrastructure as well as working with the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) in the communities surrounding the Murchison Falls Conservation Area. SPE encourages conservation education and improving access to sustainable livelihood options within the local communities and schools.

Currently, SPE organizes volunteer projects and supports alternative education, livelihoods, and school infrastructure from its bases in the Jinja and Buliisa Districts.