Educate!, a U.S. and Uganda-based organization that develops young leaders and entrepreneurs, has just launched its’ social entrepreneurship curriculum across Uganda as part of the national education system of the country.  The curriculum will empower a generation of youth in Uganda to solve the greatest challenges facing the country.

Ugandan scholars planting trees

In Uganda over 50 percent of the population is under the age of 15. Youth face problems of poverty, disease, violence, environmental degradation, and the highest youth unemployment rate in the world (83 percent). There won’t be sustainable solutions without a new generation of leaders and entrepreneurs to create and drive those solutions. Educate!’s curriculum develops that new generation by helping students identify a social or environmental problem in the community and create a venture to solve it.

Educate! mentor and scholar

The social entrepreneurship curriculum will help more than 45,000 high school students in nearly 1,000 schools across Uganda start enterprises and initiatives to lift themselves and their communities out of poverty.

“The new curriculum will bring in exciting experiences, especially with the topic of social entrepreneurship,” said Grace Baguma, Deputy Director of Uganda’s National Curriculum Development Center.

students in Educate class

Educate!, which has worked in Uganda for nearly ten years, provides a proven mix of a social entrepreneurship and leadership course, long term mentoring, and an alumni program that helps high school students start enterprises.  Educate!’s curriculum was of interest to the government of Uganda to help solve the country’s challenges, specifically youth unemployment.

"This is a major step towards enabling Uganda's education system to develop thousands of young leaders and entrepreneurs annually who can sustainably drive solutions to their communities’ own problems,” said Boris Bulayev, Educate! Co-Founder and Executive Director. “We're all eager to see the impact these young people will create."

Educate! scholar

For more information on Educate! visit: www.experienceeducate.org

All photos courtesy and copyright Educate!