Become a Life-Changer

During a volunteer service trip to Zambia in 2006, our founder, Dr. Richard Kara was inspired to do more - to give back to his native African communities. The children he met during that trip were very much like he was – playing soccer in dusty pastures, and managing with limited access to what the developed world would consider “basic” resources – where running water, balanced nutrition and access to good education were considered a luxury. One significant difference was that he was fortunate enough to have opportunities to reach his full potential. Most of these kids did not. That volunteer experience in Zambia stayed with him for a while as he contemplated what he could do to make a difference. In 2012, Dr. Kara decided to start a non-profit organization, Tara School Inc., to provide early childhood education in rural disadvantaged communities.

There is currently one school established under the umbrella of Tara School Inc. Namutumba, Uganda was selected as the location for the first school. It sits approximately 96 miles outside of the capital city of Kampala and about 46 miles from Jinja, which is the largest city in that sub-region and the city where Dr. Richard Kara spent his early childhood.

Tara Nursery and Primary School Namutumba is structured to accommodate both day and boarding students ranging in age from 4 years old, for the early childhood day program to teenagers in the day or boarding primary school program. To date we have over 200 students enrolled.

At Tara School Inc. we believe in the African Saying: “it takes a village to raise a child”. We partner with the village leaders, residents and government representatives in order to develop a school that reflects the local traditions while introducing proven educational best practices. The community has continued to be empowered through parent teacher meetings, where parents can share their observations and the school teachers can actively listen and provide recommendations. Some of the outcomes of such meetings have been children participation in afterschool programs such as completing their homework in an environment that has better facilities (designated study space) and resources such as electricity. These gestures have solidified the partnership between the school and the community. For most of us in the developed world, having electricity/lighting at home seems obvious, but we have school children who complete home work either using natural light source such as the “full moon” or use “paraffin lamps”. We are now looking for resources to build a designated library that we would encourage the parents to come to as a resource for them as well.

Tara School Inc. aims to integrate sustainable practices into various aspect of the organization. The executive team, along with the local staff, district education officers, local community leaders and parents, and through partnerships with social advocacy NGOs work together to provide resources vital to early education opportunities. Tara School engages directly in agricultural activities to generate some income for the school while at the same time providing food supply to the school children. We rented several acres of land for seasonal cultivation in order to plant peanuts, maize, local vegetables, and a free range poultry farm. All farm produce is for school consumption but the surplus is sold at the local market to generate some income to supplement expenses at the school. We also store corn surplus for future use since most small scale agriculture in this part of the country is dependent on seasonal rains. This innovative approach has been able to supplement children’s nutrition with high quality affordable organic vegetables, carbohydrates and protein.

Sponsorship is primarily need-based while Scholarships are awarded primarily based on academic performance.

Sponsorship helps a child that is in need. When you sponsor a child, you help provide basic necessities like nutrition, education (e.g. pencils, books, uniform) and access to healthcare. As a sponsor, you will receive periodic updates on how your donation is helping your sponsored child and impacting the children at Tara, the school and the community. You can exchange letters and photos with your child.

Scholarships are awarded based on scholastic achievement and extracurricular activities, not on financial need. Scholarships may be awarded to students at any grade level, with particular emphasis on students in upper grades who are preparing for national school leaving examinations to enter secondary
school. Similar to sponsorships, you will receive updates on this child’s academic progress and personal development.

Our school administrators work closely with students and their families and continually assess, monitor and update a database of children who need the most help (sponsorship candidates) and those who exhibit strong academic potential (scholarship candidates). Ideally, we would love to match EVERY child at Tara school with a sponsor but we still have a shortage of sponsors. Student sponsorship eligibility and priority are based on a comprehensive needs assessment that consider a variety of factors.

If you wish to sponsor a child (sponsorship or scholarship), you can select preferences for child gender, age and/or interests. The S&S Program representative will make the match between sponsor and child. We will make every effort to match your selected criteria, however match will be prioritized based the children in most need of sponsorship.

While you may cancel your sponsorship at any time, we prefer our sponsors to commit for at least one year. This helps create a long-term friendship with a child in need. You may continue to sponsor a child for as long as you wish.

Your annual tax-deductible donation of $475 per child ($39/month) is payable in 1, 2 or 3 installments provides school uniforms and shoes, school supplies, a daily nutritious school lunch, school fees and a solar lantern.

Every dollar counts and donation levels may vary. One-time donations are also welcome and will be pooled with other donations to provide the basic necessities for a child in need or to support school infrastructure and programs.

After you are matched with a child, you can expect to receive periodic updates in the form of pictures, letters/emails, videos and/or newsletters.

Children do not get direct cash benefits. Our local staff partners with the community to create a
sustainable plan to keep the community out of poverty.