Kampala — Criticisms have been levelled against Universal Primary Education (UPE). Many of the critics, however, have failed to appreciate that individuals can support the Government in improving UPE. I believe that we can make a change if we are willing to pick up the baton where the Government has stalled and dropped it.

My organisation, The Mpambara-Cox Foundation, has done just that and in two years we have reversed school drop-outs and increased both attendance and enrolment in three Kabale primary schools.

Our work is to enable, engage and encourage educational environments so children can thrive and succeed within UPE. We have to applaud President Museveni for boldly introducing UPE, even when plans to make it work were not clear to his administration.

Developing countries whose governments are strapped for resources, or whom others argue are engaged in a serious squandering of resources, are not going to prioritise UPE. There are just too many issues competing for a slice of the national cake and UPE benefits the poorest of the poor, the marginalised that have little or no say in these matters.

Take, for instance, 10-year-old Derek whom I met during my maiden visit to UPE schools. He is one of nearly 1000 children that are currently benefiting from Mpambara-Cox Foundation's programmes.

I met Derek in May 2008 at his school, Kengoma Primary School, near my parents' home in Nyakijumba. His school was the first of 22 schools I visited to conduct a needs assessments as I solicited input from head teachers into programmes I was formulating for the US-Africa Schools Partnering Initiative (USASPI).

Having attended Kabale Preparatory School for my primary education, this was my first visit to a government-run school. I was positively struck by the children at this school but, more importantly, I was struck by the determination of the Head Teacher, Peace Ahimbisibwe. Having joined the school in 2007, Ahimbisibwe, I could tell, wanted to make a difference. In her, I found a partner for our pilot programmes.

Later that day, I visited Derek, who is an orphan being raised by his grandmother. I talked to his family and learned that Derek, who on the way to school, has to walk past the graves of both his mother and father (claimed by HIV/AIDS within three years of each other), had dismal attendance that was reflected in his poor grades. I met with his teacher and she talked about how distracted he was.

"Derek is the perfect case of someone who in P5 would drop out of school," his teacher, Eunice said. As I talked to this painfully shy boy, the same age as my son, I realised that even if he remained in school, he would never be able to compete with those in Kampala or Toronto. At age 10, he could not read a book that my son could at four. I gave Derek a backpack with scholastic materials and reading books.

I desperately wanted to help him succeed and it would have been easy for me to do so, but I wanted to see his whole school, and indeed every school possible, given the support it needs. I decided to stick to my plan, knowing that in the 10 days I was visiting primary schools, I would encounter many children like Derek.

Today, Derek attends school regularly, concentrates better and has improved grades through our programmes. The backpack he received gave him something to be proud of and he never missed a day of school for the rest of the year. For the last two years, he has had a large cup of porridge (with milk and sugar) served daily at his school at 10:30a.m. under our porridge programme.

His school is one of three in Kabale in which we have installed clean drinking water and planted fruit trees for beautification and health. Derek is about to become a pioneer of our first Reading Challenge, in which 23 schools in Kabale District and Kabale Municipality will use about 38,000 library books in an intra-school and inter-school reading competition, complete with prizes and other incentives for students, teachers and schools.

The foundation is currently trying to raise the budgeted $6,000 ( sh11,700,000) to run this wonderful programme that is intended to introduce and ingrain a reading culture. As President Barack Obama said in that sobering speech made in the Ghanaian Parliament on July 11, 2009, "Africa's future is up to Africans".

It is truly time to take matters into our own hands and it is my hope that a Ugandan corporate entity or even a Ugandan individual will sponsor such a program. We have planned to involve over 44 Senior Six leavers who will be trained to go into the schools as community workers on a stipend to mentor, encourage and read to the children. The children have to recite a simple poem called the Reading Pledge.

By the end of the reading challenge in July, volunteers from the US that include a Principal of a USASPI partner school will be on hand in Kabale to help officiate in the challenge. The UPE children will have learned 30 new vocabulary words per book that they will share within their designated reading circles along with other reading exercises. Kabale's education officer called this programme "necessary" for the success of UPE. I agree with him 100%.

Ugandan children need more than free education. They need an environment that helps them realise their potential. Under the USASPI Schools partnering initiative we have successfully created those environments and are working to expand to other schools in Kabale District and Kabale Municipality.

On the reciprocal side here in America, our programmes build cultural awareness and global understanding within U.S. elementary schools -both of which are key to success in this increasing interconnected world. Montgomery County executive, Isiah Leggett, called USASPI "an outstanding and worthy programme" and he supports its expansion in my county.