Western region, Uganda
Donum Nakivale Technical Secondary School: 960 places
A free technical secondary school for 960 refugee and host learners, where only about one refugee teenager in nine is in secondary school.
Planned project
This is a project we plan to build. None of the approvals it needs has been granted yet. Each one is listed below with its status, and nothing that needs an approval starts until it is granted.
Isingiro District, next to Nakivale Refugee Settlement. The exact plot is not yet bought.
7%
Refugee secondary enrolment in Nakivale
among the lowest of any settlement in Uganda (UNHCR Uganda, 2026-03)
2
Secondary schools in or near Nakivale
for a settlement of 130,000 to 286,000 (Finn Church Aid Uganda, 2026-03-26)
960
Places
240 a year, Senior One to Four, 240 boarding
$1,038
Running cost per learner a year
$520 once teachers are government-paid
To build
$5,072,833
once
To run
$996,700
a year; $498,800 with the government partnership
Its share of the Donum Endowment
$24,917,500
running cost divided by 4%
In all
$29,990,333
opens February 2029 (planned)
$0 of $29,990,333
Pledge to this project Read the whole plan
If a project cannot go ahead, because an approval it needs is refused or its building has not begun within five years, everyone who gave to it is offered their money back or a move to another planned project.
Why it matters
- Only 11% to 12.1% of refugee young people in Uganda are in secondary school (Finn Church Aid Uganda, 2026-03-26); UNHCR puts refugee secondary enrolment at 9% against 34% for Uganda as a whole (UNHCR Uganda Annual Results Report 2024, 2025-05-27).
- In Nakivale it is lower still: 7%, among the lowest of any settlement (UNHCR Uganda, 2026-03). There are only two secondary schools in or near Nakivale (Finn Church Aid Uganda, 2026-03-26).
- 87,254 refugee children in Uganda are believed to be out of school, more girls than boys (UNHCR Uganda, 2026-05); secondary and technical places will not come from a response that is 14% funded (UNHCR, 2026-03-31).
Read more
Near Nakivale, Rubondo Community Secondary School was started in 2019 because the area had nine primary schools and no secondary school (AVSI Foundation, 2026-03-19). Long, unsafe journeys end many girls' schooling, and early pregnancy and marriage are common for girls who drop out (UNHCR and REACH, 2017) (Finn Church Aid Uganda, 2026-03-26).
Children finish primary at about 13: too young to be hired and too young for a workshop full of machines. A school that keeps them until Senior Four, with a trade in every year, gives those years a purpose. Uganda's lower secondary curriculum is already built around practical skills (Daily Monitor, 2026-09-18).
What the evidence says
Among refugees in Nakivale and Kampala, vocational training is associated with a 10.7 percentage point higher chance of having a job (Betts and others, 2024). Vocational courses at Nakivale Secondary School put at least 30% of graduates into work in their trade (Global Compact on Refugees, 2018).
Read more
Uganda's law lets a foundation body found a school that the government then grant-aids, deploying and paying its teachers (Education (Pre-Primary, 2008); the government grant-aided 51 schools in refugee-hosting districts in one year (Ministry of Education and Sports, 2023-05-24). But in April 2025 the Ministry's principal economist told Parliament there were no funds in the 2025/26 budget for grant-aiding in parishes and sub-counties without schools (Parliament of Uganda, 2025-04-09); money for grant-aiding is tight, so the endowment is sized to pay every teacher itself.
What it is
Sixteen classrooms, four science laboratories, three technical workshops (building and carpentry, electrical and solar, tailoring and design), a computer laboratory, a library, a hall and dining room, a kitchen that cooks with electricity and biogas, two dormitories for 120 learners each, sports fields, a demonstration farm and nineteen homes for teachers.
Read more
Places for 960 learners from Senior One to Senior Four. Every learner studies a trade in every year, taught by technical instructors in the school's own workshops, and is assessed for a national trade certificate in Senior Four, alongside the Senior Four certificate.
Every learner gets lunch; boarders get three meals a day. Every learner gets books, a uniform made in our own tailoring workshop, and every girl gets sanitary pads every month. Two special needs teachers and a counsellor are part of the staff.
There is no Senior Five or Six. Those two years mainly prepare for university, and about 9% of refugees worldwide are enrolled in higher education (UNHCR, 2025). This school prepares for work.
No fees. Nobody repays Donum for a place.
When it happens
Opens February 2029 (planned).
- The land
- Studies and approvals
- The builder
- Foundations
- Walls and roof
- Finishes, power and water
- Equipment
- Opening
Read more: approvals and stages
Approvals
| Approval | From whom | Status | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| The campus approvals (land, consultations, district, environmental certificate) | See the campus chance | Not yet granted | |
| Licence to establish and run a secondary school | Ministry of Education and Sports, through Isingiro District | Not yet granted | |
| Registration after the school has run as required | Ministry of Education and Sports | Not yet granted | |
| Exam centre number | Uganda National Examinations Board | Not yet granted | |
| Registration as an assessment centre for learners' trade certificates | Uganda Vocational and Technical Assessment Board | Not yet granted | |
| Application to be grant-aided (the partnership) | Ministry of Education and Sports | Not yet granted |
Its stages
- The land. Done means: Land in a place with at least 20,000 people within 5 km, checked against Office of the Prime Minister and UNHCR population figures; its title, or a written allocation from the Office of the Prime Minister, in Donum Foundation's name, checked by our lawyer.
- Studies and approvals. Done means: Surveys, the environmental and social impact certificate, approved drawings, and every approval this project needs, each recorded on the chance page.
- The builder. Done means: Three written quotes from builders our team has checked; one chosen and the reason written down. The chosen quote replaces this estimate on the page.
- Foundations. Done means: Foundations and floor slabs inspected and signed off by the supervising engineer.
- Walls and roof. Done means: Walls up and roof on, inspected and signed off.
- Finishes, power and water. Done means: Doors, windows, plaster, paint, wiring, plumbing, power and water working, inspected.
- Equipment. Done means: Furniture and equipment in place and checked against the list.
- Opening. Done means: The confirmation of delivery signed by the community's leaders, with photos, and the running costs in place.
What it costs, and why
Where the building money goes
- $1.10 million for 16 classrooms, 4 science laboratories, a computer laboratory, a library and 3 technical workshops.
- $0.87 million for two dormitories of 120 and 19 staff homes: teachers who live on site stay.
- $0.74 million for a hall and dining room for 700, a kitchen that cooks with electricity and biogas, offices and toilets with private rooms for girls.
- $1.49 million for design and supervision, price rises, VAT and a 10% contingency.
Where the running money goes
- $497,900 a year for 38 teachers on government scales and 30 support staff: the half the government can take over by grant-aiding.
- $239,800 for meals and boarding; $83,600 for teaching materials and internet; $92,500 saved every year to replace computers, the bus and equipment.
Running this place costs $996,700 a year. At 4% a year, that needs $24,917,500 invested in the Donum Endowment, which is never spent: only its returns pay the running costs, every year. If the government takes on the staff it can pay, Donum's yearly share falls to $498,800, and the returns that paid for those salaries go to the next need.
Every part
None yet. Choose All to see everything.
Classrooms, laboratories and library $1,095,342 · still needs $1,095,342 · Planned
-
16 classrooms for 60 learners each, in 4 blocks
$455,890 · still needs $455,890 · Planned
How we reached this figure: 1,280 m2 at UGX 1,300,000 per m2 (R_STD)
-
4 science laboratories (physics, chemistry, biology, agriculture) with preparation rooms
$263,014 · still needs $263,014 · Planned
How we reached this figure: 600 m2 at UGX 1,600,000 per m2 (R_SVC)
-
Computer laboratory for 60, with a server room
$61,370 · still needs $61,370 · Planned
How we reached this figure: 140 m2 at UGX 1,600,000 per m2 (R_SVC)
-
Library and reading room for 120
$106,849 · still needs $106,849 · Planned
How we reached this figure: 300 m2 at UGX 1,300,000 per m2 (R_STD)
-
3 technical workshops for learners: building and carpentry, electrical and solar, tailoring and design
$172,603 · still needs $172,603 · Planned
How we reached this figure: 450 m2 at UGX 1,400,000 per m2 (R_WORK)
-
Art and design room
$35,616 · still needs $35,616 · Planned
How we reached this figure: 100 m2 at UGX 1,300,000 per m2 (R_STD)
-
Hall, kitchen and offices $742,465 · still needs $742,465 · Planned
-
Administration: offices, a staff room for 45, an exam store, a counselling room
$149,589 · still needs $149,589 · Planned
How we reached this figure: 420 m2 at UGX 1,300,000 per m2 (R_STD)
-
Hall and dining room for 700: assemblies, meals, exams and community events
$345,205 · still needs $345,205 · Planned
How we reached this figure: 900 m2 at UGX 1,400,000 per m2 (R_HALL)
-
Kitchen and food stores, cooking with electricity and biogas instead of firewood
$84,384 · still needs $84,384 · Planned
How we reached this figure: 220 m2 at UGX 1,400,000 per m2 (R_HALL)
-
Sick bay
$28,493 · still needs $28,493 · Planned
How we reached this figure: 80 m2 at UGX 1,300,000 per m2 (R_STD)
-
4 toilet blocks, with private rooms for girls' hygiene
$85,479 · still needs $85,479 · Planned
How we reached this figure: 240 m2 at UGX 1,300,000 per m2 (R_STD)
-
Covered walkways
$49,315 · still needs $49,315 · Planned
How we reached this figure: 400 m2 at UGX 450,000 per m2 (WALK)
-
Boarding and teachers' homes $874,794 · still needs $874,794 · Planned
-
2 dormitories for 120 learners each, with washrooms and a warden's flat
$427,397 · still needs $427,397 · Planned
How we reached this figure: 1,200 m2 at UGX 1,300,000 per m2 (R_STD)
-
16 two-bedroom homes for teachers
$352,877 · still needs $352,877 · Planned
How we reached this figure: 1,120 m2 at UGX 1,150,000 per m2 (R_HOUSE)
-
Head teacher's house
$37,808 · still needs $37,808 · Planned
How we reached this figure: 120 m2 at UGX 1,150,000 per m2 (R_HOUSE)
-
2 houses for the deputy head teachers
$56,712 · still needs $56,712 · Planned
How we reached this figure: 180 m2 at UGX 1,150,000 per m2 (R_HOUSE)
-
Sports and outside works $86,300 · still needs $86,300 · Planned
-
Football pitch, levelled, drained and grassed
$16,438 · still needs $16,438 · Planned
How we reached this figure: Our estimate
-
Netball and basketball courts
$19,178 · still needs $19,178 · Planned
How we reached this figure: Our estimate
-
Running track
$6,849 · still needs $6,849 · Planned
How we reached this figure: Our estimate
-
Fence and gate around the school, 1,000 m
$35,616 · still needs $35,616 · Planned
How we reached this figure: 1,000 m at UGX 130,000 a metre
-
Demonstration farm with drip irrigation
$8,219 · still needs $8,219 · Planned
How we reached this figure: Our estimate
-
Desks, beds and kitchen $269,822 · still needs $269,822 · Planned
-
1,000 desks with chairs, steel and hardwood
$77,000 · still needs $77,000 · Planned
$77 a desk with chair, 1,000 needed
How we reached this figure: 1,000 at UGX 280,000
-
Teachers' tables and chairs, and 20 classroom boards
$8,767 · still needs $8,767 · Planned
How we reached this figure: 20 sets at UGX 400,000 and 20 boards at UGX 1,200,000
-
120 double-deck beds, 240 mattresses, 240 lockers and mosquito nets
$44,055 · still needs $44,055 · Planned
How we reached this figure: 120 at UGX 650,000, 240 at UGX 180,000, 240 at UGX 150,000, 240 at UGX 15,000
-
Tables and benches for 700, and a sound system and projector for the hall
$47,945 · still needs $47,945 · Planned
How we reached this figure: Our estimate
-
Kitchen: 12 large electric pressure cookers, 6 electric boiling pans, biogas burners, a small cold room, utensils
$49,315 · still needs $49,315 · Planned
How we reached this figure: Our estimate
-
Basic furniture for 19 staff homes
$20,822 · still needs $20,822 · Planned
How we reached this figure: 19 at UGX 4,000,000
-
Office equipment, safe, computers and filing
$12,329 · still needs $12,329 · Planned
How we reached this figure: Our estimate
-
Sick bay equipment
$4,110 · still needs $4,110 · Planned
How we reached this figure: Our estimate
-
Sports equipment
$5,479 · still needs $5,479 · Planned
How we reached this figure: Our estimate
-
Laboratories, computers and books $372,137 · still needs $372,137 · Planned
-
Equipment and first chemicals for 4 laboratories, with fume cupboards and gas
$120,548 · still needs $120,548 · Planned
$30,137 a laboratory set, 4 needed
How we reached this figure: 4 at UGX 110,000,000
-
60 new computers, a server, network, 2 projectors and printers
$67,671 · still needs $67,671 · Planned
How we reached this figure: 60 at UGX 3,200,000, plus UGX 55,000,000
-
8,000 library books
$96,000 · still needs $96,000 · Planned
$12 a library book, 8,000 needed
How we reached this figure: 8,000 at UGX 45,000
-
Library shelving, tables for 120, and a catalogue
$21,918 · still needs $21,918 · Planned
How we reached this figure: Our estimate
-
6,000 textbooks for the new curriculum, one each in the core subjects
$66,000 · still needs $66,000 · Planned
$11 a textbook, 6,000 needed
How we reached this figure: 6,000 at UGX 40,000
-
School bus $123,288 · still needs $123,288 · Planned
-
A 30-seat school bus for trips, sports and emergencies
$123,288 · still needs $123,288 · Planned
How we reached this figure: Uganda price with taxes; our estimate
-
Getting ready to open $15,069 · still needs $15,069 · Planned
-
Licence to open, registration, the board of governors, and the exam centre number
$4,110 · still needs $4,110 · Planned
How we reached this figure: Our estimate
Can start before approvals
-
Hiring and preparing the teachers before the first term
$10,959 · still needs $10,959 · Planned
How we reached this figure: Our estimate
-
Fees, taxes and contingency $1,493,616 · still needs $1,493,616 · Planned
-
Architect, engineers, quantity surveyor and site supervision (10% of the building work)
$279,890 · still needs $279,890 · Planned
How we reached this figure: 10% of $2,798,904 building and outside works; usual practice in Uganda
Can start before approvals
-
Allowance for prices rising before building starts (6%)
$167,945 · still needs $167,945 · Planned
How we reached this figure: 6% of building and outside works. Uganda inflation was 4.6% a year to Sep 2026, and energy and fuel 14.5% (UBOS)
-
VAT on the builder's contract and fees (18%), unless Donum obtains an exemption
$584,411 · still needs $584,411 · Planned
How we reached this figure: 18% of works, price allowance and fees. If an exemption is granted, this line is returned to the project's other items
-
Contingency for what nobody can see yet (10%)
$461,370 · still needs $461,370 · Planned
How we reached this figure: 10% of everything above. Whatever is not used goes to this project's running costs (its endowment)
-
Keeping it running: its share of the Donum Endowment $24,917,500 · still needs $24,917,500 · Planned
-
Staff pay, for good: paid every year from the endowment's returns
$12,447,500 · still needs $12,447,500 · Planned
How we reached this figure: $497,900 a year divided by 4%
-
Learners' meals and materials, for good: paid every year from the endowment's returns
$5,995,000 · still needs $5,995,000 · Planned
How we reached this figure: $239,800 a year divided by 4%
-
Teaching materials and internet, for good: paid every year from the endowment's returns
$2,090,000 · still needs $2,090,000 · Planned
How we reached this figure: $83,600 a year divided by 4%
-
Fuel, supplies and services, for good: paid every year from the endowment's returns
$515,000 · still needs $515,000 · Planned
How we reached this figure: $20,600 a year divided by 4%
-
Upkeep and servicing, for good: paid every year from the endowment's returns
$1,050,000 · still needs $1,050,000 · Planned
How we reached this figure: $42,000 a year divided by 4%
-
Replacing equipment as it wears out, for good: paid every year from the endowment's returns
$2,312,500 · still needs $2,312,500 · Planned
How we reached this figure: $92,500 a year divided by 4%
-
Insurance, for good: paid every year from the endowment's returns
$507,500 · still needs $507,500 · Planned
How we reached this figure: $20,300 a year divided by 4%
-
Read more: running costs, line by line
In 2026 prices. Lines marked government are the ones the partnership could move to the government.
| Running cost | A year |
|---|---|
| 38 teachers: head, 2 deputies, 15 science and mathematics, 15 arts and languages, 2 special needs, 3 technical instructors, on government pay scales, with NSSF and medical cover (government) | $375,800 |
| 30 support staff: bursar, librarian, laboratory, nurse, wardens, cooks, cleaners, counsellor and others (government) | $122,100 |
| Lunch for 720 day learners, 200 days a year (UGX 1,800 a meal) | $71,000 |
| Three meals a day for 240 boarders, 273 days a year (UGX 1,600 a meal) | $86,200 |
| Exercise books, pens and mathematical sets (UGX 60,000 a learner) | $15,800 |
| A uniform each year, made in our own tailoring workshop (UGX 90,000 a learner) | $23,700 |
| Sanitary pads for every girl, every month | $7,900 |
| National exam fees for about 240 Senior Four candidates each year | $10,800 |
| National trade assessment for every Senior Four learner (UGX 100,000 each) | $6,600 |
| Materials for the trade workshops (UGX 150,000 a learner a year) | $39,500 |
| Laboratory chemicals and specimens | $16,400 |
| New books and replacing worn textbooks | $11,000 |
| Internet for the school | $9,900 |
| Teacher training | $6,800 |
| Sport, clubs and trips | $8,200 |
| Boarding supplies and sick bay medicines | $9,600 |
| School bus fuel and servicing | $11,000 |
| Stationery, exam printing, bank charges and phones | $9,600 |
| Building upkeep (1.5% of building cost) | $42,000 |
| Replacing furniture, computers and laboratory equipment over their life (8 years) | $80,200 |
| Replacing the school bus over its life (10 years) | $12,300 |
| Insurance (0.4%) | $20,300 |
| Total | $996,700 |
| Donum's share if the government takes on the lines marked government | $498,800 |
These are estimates, in 2026 prices. Before anything is bought, a quote from a builder or seller we checked replaces each one, and this page shows the change.
Who runs it, who pays, and who else is there
Model B. Donum founds and owns the school as its foundation body under the Education Act 2008 and keeps its seats on the board. Once the school is licensed and registered, it applies to be grant-aided; a grant-aided school's teachers are paid by the government (Education (Pre-Primary, 2008). Until then, Donum pays every teacher on the government's own pay scales from the endowment, so the school does not depend on the government's decision to open or to stay open.
- Windle International runs Nakivale Secondary School; FCA built dormitories at Rubondo Community Secondary School; AVSI trains young people there (Finn Church Aid Uganda, 2026-03-26) (AVSI Foundation, 2026-03-19). Donum agrees catchment areas with them so the school adds places rather than drawing learners away.
Read more: keeping it running
Donum is the school's foundation body and owns its land and buildings. Once licensed and registered, the school applies to be grant-aided, so that the government pays its teachers. Until then, the endowment pays 38 teachers and instructors and 30 support staff on government scales, meals for every learner, books, uniforms, sanitary pads, exam and trade assessment fees, workshop and laboratory materials, internet, the school bus, building upkeep at 1.5% a year and insurance. Every year an amount is saved to replace furniture, computers, workshop and laboratory equipment after about eight years and the bus after about ten.
Running it costs $996,700 a year, paid from the returns of its share of the Donum Endowment.
What it will achieve
- 960 learners at a time; about 240 finishing Senior Four each year once every class is full, each with the Senior Four certificate and a national trade certificate.
- Refugee and host learners side by side; 240 boarding places, girls first, for those who live farthest or are least safe on the road.
- Meals for every learner, because hunger is one of the reasons children stop coming.
Read more: how we worked these numbers out
More than 30,000 young people aged 15 to 24 lived in the settlement even when it held about 145,000 people (Windle International, undated). Against that, 960 places means demand will not be the limit; fair selection between refugees and hosts will be.
Cost per place. $5.07 million to build is about $5,284 a place. A government seed secondary school costs about UGX 3.2 to 3.3 billion (New Vision, 2026-07-01), about $0.89 million, for fewer classrooms and without boarding, three workshops, four laboratories, a hall for 700 or teachers' homes.
Cost per learner. $996,700 a year is about $1,038 a learner, including boarding for 240 and lunch for everyone. Once the government pays the teachers it is about $520.
How we will know
- Learners enrolled, and the share who are girls
- Learners who stay from one year to the next
- Senior Four results, and trade certificates passed
- What learners do after Senior Four, followed up at six months and a year: working, training further, or neither
Read more: what could go wrong
- The school is not grant-aided, or only after many years. The endowment is sized to pay every teacher without the government.
- Too many applicants for 960 places. Admission is published before the first term: a fair share for refugee and host learners, with distance, safety and need decided in the open.
- Learners arrive speaking French, not English. Senior One has English support built in, taught by the school's own language teachers.
- Children and adults in the same workshops. They are not: the school has its own workshops. It shares instructors' training and some equipment with the training farm, never timetables.
Questions people ask
Why stop at Senior Four?
Senior Five and Six prepare mainly for university, which few refugees reach (UNHCR, 2025). Senior Four with a trade certificate opens both work and further training.
Why boarding?
For the learners who live farthest away or are least safe on the road, girls first. Distance and safety are among the main reasons girls leave school (Finn Church Aid Uganda, 2026-03-26).
Why is it free?
Fees are one of the reasons children stop. The endowment pays what fees would.
What if grant-aiding never comes?
Donum pays every teacher from the endowment, which is sized for that at $996,700 a year.
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