New York Times Op-Ed by Educate! Team Member

Educate! is proud to share team member James K Arinaitwe’s New York Times Op-Ed article advocating for the need for improved education and skills development in Uganda to create opportunities for youth as an alternative to joining terrorist and rebel groups.

James’ own story of nearly joining a rebel group as a young boy orphaned by age 10 and in search of opportunity underscores the importance of our model. James offers his thoughts on what he knows, and what we at Educate! believe, is the most effective way to create change: “Quality education that provides Uganda’s youth with critical thinking skills and a path to stable jobs is the best way to curb corruption and neutralize the attraction of rebel and terrorist groups.” James is an inspiration who exemplifies the power of Educate!’s work. Not only has he transformed his own life but he is working to empower youth across Africa.

Today, James is presenting a case study of Educate!’s work on a panel hosted by Results for Development Institute (R4D) on skills development and education to address youth unemployment. The event, described in yesterday’s Washington Post article, marks a milestone for R4D in their work on secondary education and skills, which has Educate! as one of eight case studies in Sub-Saharan Africa.

James will be presenting alongside leading youth actors such as the Mastercard Foundation and Making Cents International. It’s an exciting moment for James and Educate!.

James’s Op-Ed and the R4D report highlight the need for organizations like Educate! to reach more youth. Thank you for supporting us as we scale our model to reach 100,000 youth annually in Uganda and expand to three new countries in the next 10 years and work to create the future of secondary education in Africa.