Uphill Junior School serves a rural community of subsistence farmers and small traders. Income levels within the community are very low or non-existent. Fees are set at a low level – even by Ugandan standards – to encourage families to send their children to school. Orphans pay no fees and adjustments are made for families with very little income. Over a third of pupils attend Uphill free of charge or with reduced fees, so, long term income sustainability is one of the major challenges facing the school.
The Uphill Trust pays the staff salaries at Uphill Junior School and will continue to do so until the school can generate the income it needs. Salaries account for over 60% of the running costs of the school – a shortfall of around £17,500 pa. School fees collected from the pupils cover food for the teachers, salaries for the school cook and caretaker, provision of stationary and examination papers, fuel for the school boda-boda and other incidentals. Plans for additional income generation are essential for the long term success of the school.
Planning for Financial Sustainability
School director Elius has been making plans since he founded the school. Many of these will take time to implement but progress is being made.
Agricultural Projects
In rural areas, growing crops and/or raising livestock to sell are common income-generating options. Coffee is now a priority export crop for the government, and Uganda has recently overtaken Ethiopa as the largest coffee exporter in Africa. In 2026, we helped the school to buy 4.5 acres of farmland with an established coffee plantation and space to develop additional agricultural projects. The income generated from the Uphill Farm will initially be used to establish good farming and coffee harvesting methodology, and in time will help to pay staff salaries at the school. Uphill pupils will also visit the farm to learn about growing good quality coffee for export.
We will report on this project as it develops.
Reducing Expenditure
The teachers are provided with accommodation as part of their employment package and this used to be a big drain on the school’s fee income. In 2022 we bought a plot of land with an existing 8 room house and have now built additional staff homes and sanitation block. The teachers and their families now live together on a quiet site away from the noise of the trading centre and just a short walk from the the school.
Building Sustainability into School Projects
We have already begun to do this.
The two new pupil latrine blocks have sewage tanks that can be emptied – instead of a traditional deep earth pit which will eventually fill up and become unusable.
The staff latrines in school and at their accommodation are compost toilets, and the shower cubicles in the sanitation block are fed from rainwater harvesting tanks
Vegetables grown in the school gardens are used in meals at the school, reducing food costs and improving nutrition at the same time. Fruit trees planted in the school grounds serve the same purpose.
The school boda-boda costs less to run than paying for taxi bike fares on a regular basis.
Having a photocopier in school has markedly reduced the cost of buying in examination papers and allows the teachers to prepare learning resources for their classrooms.
A school kitchen has been built with fuel efficient stoves – better for the environment and for the cook’s health, as well as requiring less wood.
Funding Sustainability Projects
Many of these projects require capital expenditure, which can be hard to fund. We would like to develop additional relationships with businesses and organisations who able able to offer matched funding programmes, lump sums donations and/or support us on an ongoing basis as we work through our sustainability plans for the school. If you can help, or know anyone who can help, we would love to talk with you!
Tags: financial sustainability, planning for self sustainability, Uphill Junior School
