Deadline: 19-Jun-2026
The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) is seeking a strategic implementing partner to support inclusive, equitable, and quality education interventions for girls and boys in Karamoja, Uganda. The programme adopts a life-course approach to strengthen learning outcomes, systems capacity, and access to education across early childhood, primary, secondary, and alternative learning pathways.
The initiative focuses on improving foundational learning, inclusion, gender equality, and education system resilience in one of Uganda’s most disadvantaged regions.
Overview
Karamoja faces long-standing structural barriers to education, including poverty, climate vulnerability, food insecurity, limited infrastructure, and socio-cultural constraints. These challenges have resulted in persistently low enrolment, high dropout rates, and weak learning outcomes, particularly among girls, children with disabilities, and other vulnerable groups.
This programme builds on ongoing UNICEF-supported interventions to accelerate progress in inclusive education, strengthen foundational literacy and numeracy, and improve education system performance across nine districts.
Programme Objectives
The partnership aims to:
- Improve equitable access to quality education across all levels
- Strengthen early childhood development and school readiness
- Enhance foundational literacy and numeracy (FLN) outcomes
- Expand inclusive education for children with disabilities
- Support remedial and accelerated learning pathways
- Improve mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) in schools
- Strengthen school governance and education systems
- Promote gender equality and retention of girls in education
- Strengthen safeguarding and child protection mechanisms
- Enhance climate-resilient and safe learning environments
- Strengthen community engagement and social behaviour change
- Improve education data systems and coordination
Geographic Focus
- Region: Karamoja, Uganda
- Coverage: Nine districts in the sub-region
- Target group: Girls and boys aged 3–19 years
- Special focus: Girls, children with disabilities, adolescents, and marginalized learners
Key Education Challenges
The programme addresses several persistent challenges:
- Extremely low access to early childhood education
- High dropout rates linked to poverty and food insecurity
- Limited teacher capacity and motivation
- Weak foundational literacy and numeracy outcomes
- Limited inclusive education resources and trained staff
- Barriers faced by children with disabilities
- Gender-based barriers including early marriage and teenage pregnancy
- Mental health and psychosocial stress among learners and teachers
- Limited flexible learning and accelerated education pathways
- Weak data systems for tracking learning outcomes
Programme Components
Early Childhood Development (ECD)
- Nurturing care and parenting support
- Early learning access expansion
- School readiness interventions
Foundational Learning
- Foundational literacy and numeracy (FLN) programmes
- Remedial education for low-performing learners
- Teacher support and training
Inclusive Education
- Support for children with disabilities
- Inclusive learning materials and environments
- Teacher training on inclusive pedagogy
Adolescents and Alternative Pathways
- Accelerated education programmes
- Skills development for adolescents
- Support for pregnant teenagers and child mothers
- Transition support to secondary education
School Governance and Systems Strengthening
- School leadership and governance improvement
- Education system coordination
- Data management and monitoring systems
Psychosocial Support and Safeguarding
- Mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS)
- Child protection and safeguarding systems
- Safe learning environment initiatives
Community Engagement and Social Behaviour Change
- Community awareness on education rights
- Behaviour change communication strategies
- Engagement of parents and local leaders
Infrastructure and Climate Resilience
- School rehabilitation and improvement
- Climate change adaptation in school systems
- Strengthening safe and resilient learning environments
Programme Progress and Gaps
Achievements to Date
- Increased early childhood development access
- Improved inclusive education for children with disabilities
- Strengthened school governance structures
- Integration of life skills education in schools
Remaining Challenges
- Limited learning recovery and FLN coverage
- Low retention of girls in alternative learning pathways
- Teacher absenteeism and low motivation
- Insufficient evidence of large-scale learning improvements
- Persistent barriers to inclusion and gender equality
Expected Results
The programme is expected to achieve:
- Increased access to inclusive and equitable education opportunities
- Improved foundational literacy and numeracy outcomes
- Stronger school governance and education system performance
- Enhanced retention and transition rates for learners, especially girls
- Improved community awareness of child rights and education
- Strengthened climate resilience in schools and communities
- Better psychosocial wellbeing for learners and teachers
- Improved inclusion for children with disabilities
Implementation Approach
The selected partner will support UNICEF Uganda in:
- Delivering integrated education interventions across multiple levels
- Strengthening local education systems and coordination mechanisms
- Supporting teacher capacity development and learning delivery
- Enhancing community engagement and behaviour change initiatives
- Improving monitoring, evaluation, and learning systems
- Supporting targeted interventions for vulnerable and marginalized groups
The programme is implemented in collaboration with the Government of Uganda and supported by the Government of Ireland under a multi-year education initiative running from 2023 to 2027.
Indicative Budget
- Total budget: USD 300,000
How to Apply
Step 1: Confirm Eligibility
Applicants must:
- Be legally registered organisations
- Have experience in education programming, preferably in fragile contexts
- Demonstrate capacity in inclusive education and systems strengthening
Step 2: Develop Technical Proposal
Include:
- Education delivery and systems strengthening approach
- Inclusion and gender strategy
- Learning recovery and FLN improvement plan
- Safeguarding and child protection framework
Step 3: Implementation Plan
Provide:
- Detailed workplan and timeline
- Geographic and target group coverage strategy
- Monitoring and evaluation framework
- Risk management approach
Step 4: Submit Application
Submit the full proposal in line with UNICEF requirements, including technical and financial components.
Tips for Applicants
- Prioritise foundational learning outcomes and measurable learning gains
- Integrate strong gender equality and inclusion strategies
- Demonstrate experience in fragile and conflict-affected contexts
- Include robust teacher support and capacity-building components
- Strengthen community engagement for sustained behaviour change
- Address barriers affecting girls, including early marriage and pregnancy
- Ensure strong data systems for tracking education outcomes
Why This Programme Matters
Karamoja remains one of Uganda’s most education-deprived regions, where systemic inequalities and socio-economic challenges significantly limit children’s learning opportunities. This programme strengthens inclusive, resilient, and equitable education systems, ensuring that vulnerable children can access quality learning, complete schooling, and transition into productive futures.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
- What is the main goal of the programme?
- To improve inclusive and equitable education outcomes for children in Karamoja, Uganda.
- What is the budget for the partnership?
- USD 300,000.
- Who is the target group?
- Children aged 3–19 years, including girls, children with disabilities, and vulnerable adolescents.
- Which areas are covered?
- Nine districts in Karamoja, Uganda.
- What are the main focus areas?
- Early learning, FLN, inclusive education, psychosocial support, and systems strengthening.
- Which organisation is implementing the programme?
- UNICEF Uganda with support from the Government of Ireland.
- What are the expected outcomes?
- Improved learning outcomes, stronger inclusion, better retention, and enhanced education systems.
Conclusion
The UNICEF Karamoja education initiative seeks to transform learning outcomes through inclusive, systems-based interventions across early childhood, primary, and secondary education. By addressing deep-rooted structural barriers and strengthening education systems, the programme aims to ensure equitable, safe, and quality education for all children and adolescents in one of Uganda’s most underserved regions.
For more information, visit UN Partner Portal.