Closing the Learning Gap: VVOB & Hempel Foundation Extend Partnership

Additionally, VVOB and Hempel Foundation will partner up in a pilot project in Eastern Province in Zambia, from June 2024, to strengthen the literacy and numeracy skills of learners in Zambia by developing and testing an integrated approach to foundational learning. "At VVOB in Zambia, we are very excited about the new project and partnership with Hempel Foundation," shares Caroline Elliot, Country Programmes Manager at VVOB in Zambia. "This partnership gives us the opportunity to pilot a fusion of structured teaching methods and early grade remediation strategies - a gap previously unaddressed by others. This pilot project holds immense importance in tackling the learning crisis not only in Zambia but also beyond." 

This partnership reflects a joint commitment to addressing educational challenges on a broader scale to improve the quality of education.  

Despite high enrolment rates, many learners in Uganda struggle with basic literacy and numeracy skills. While many factors can contribute to this, a study by the National Planning Authority determined that headteacher, teacher and learner absenteeism can greatly contribute to low primary learning levels. Additionally, learning outcomes are affected by overcrowded classrooms which prevent teachers from sufficiently addressing the needs of individual learners and low-quality teacher training. In Kasese, a TaRL pilot project in 2022 revealed that approximately four out of five Grade 3-5 learners (age 8 to 11) could not read a simple paragraph in their local language (about three out of five could not read a paragraph in English), while almost four out of five could not perform basic math, contrary to curriculum expectations, demonstrating an urgent need to improve learning outcomes.  

The project in Uganda aims to tackle this by implementing a contextualised, government-led TaRL model called UCatch Up. TaRL is a structured approach to accelerating learners’ acquisition of foundational literacy and numeracy skills. VVOB introduced TaRL with technical support from TaRL Africa in Uganda in 2020. Since then, VVOB has supported the Ugandan Ministry of Education and Sports in implementing TaRL through the public education system in five districts: Adjumani, Kasese, Isingiro, Madi Okollo and Terego.  

Also in other countries, the introduction of TaRL has shown great potential. In Zambia, for example, Catch Up (the Zambian Ministry of Education’s TaRL programme), has been running since 2016 and is now implemented in about 70% of primary schools, with plans to scale up nationally in the coming years. VVOB and Hempel Foundation will now team up for a pilot project in two districts in Eastern Province aiming to implement an integrated approach to foundational learning, combining structured pedagogy and remedial learning for learners in grade 2 and TaRL in grades 3-5. The pilot will be implemented in 110 schools, directly reaching nearly 25,000 learners in grade 2 and indirectly 73,000 learners in grades 3-5.  

The extended partnership of VVOB and Hempel Foundation, as expressed by Anders Holm, Executive Director at Hempel Foundation, marks a significant chapter in our shared vision to address the learning crisis in Uganda and Zambia. Standing behind our dedication to promoting foundational learning and our vision for measurable, scalable impact, Holm states: “A strong partnership between VVOB and Hempel Foundation has materialised over the past years. I can only commend VVOB’s dedication to promoting foundational learning and their vision for measurable, scalable impact. As we celebrate the two new collaborations in Uganda and Zambia, I wish to highlight the strength of VVOB’s evidence-based foundational learning programmes and the inclusive approach to stakeholder engagement with governments and knowledge institutions.” 

The roots of our partnership run deep, grounded in the belief that every child, regardless of circumstance, deserves access to quality education.