About Gulu
Gulu District is located in the north of Uganda, 320km north of the capital, Kampala. The Acholi people
are the main inhabitants of Gulu. There are a range of spoken languages including Luo, Swahili, English
and Luganda.
The 23-year conflict in northern Uganda displaced over 1.7 million people who lived in Internally
Displaced Person's camps, rife with disease and violence and no way to make a living and limited access
to basic education. A generation of Acholi people was born and raised in these camps. In addition,
30,000 children were abducted by the Lord's Resistance Army to be used as child soldiers or sex slaves.
This was a generation of children traumatised by war. In 2007, the Acholi people began returning to
their villages to find their homes and schools destroyed.
Wakadogo School has been on the ground since this time serving the community. The majority of the
parents and teachers at school were children or young adults during the war and sending their children
to school is a milestone achievement in rebuilding their community. Wakadogo School works closely with
local community leaders, parents and students to ensure that they are involved in the school's
management and children's learning, through the School Management Committee, Parent Teacher Association
and student clubs.