Quality education in the heart of a community that needs it most

Nakulabye Junior Primary School was founded in 1998 by Moses Zimbe, a local teacher who saw children around him — many orphaned by the HIV/AIDS crisis — going without education. He started with eleven children and a rented room.

Today, over 450 pupils study here. Many are orphans. Many have lost a parent. Nearly all come from families living in poverty. But every single one of them shows up, because this school gives them something the world around them doesn't always offer: hope and a future.

One teacher. Eleven children. A rented room.

In 1998, Moses Zimbe — a qualified teacher and local community leader in Nakulabye Parish — looked around his neighbourhood and saw a generation of children with no path forward. The HIV/AIDS epidemic was at its peak, leaving behind hundreds of orphans. Poverty was grinding and relentless. There was no community school, no government school, nowhere for the most vulnerable children to go.

So Moses built one himself. He gathered eleven children from his neighbourhood, mobilised the community to donate chairs and tables, and rented a space to start teaching. He taught most lessons himself. The school grew day by day.

That school became Nakulabye Junior Primary School — named after the slum community it serves, and committed ever since to the children that the rest of the world too often forgets.

A strong academic foundation

Core subjects cover Mathematics, English Language, Integrated Science, Social Studies, and Religious Education. Lessons run approximately 105 minutes each and are designed to be interactive — using group discussions, storytelling, visual aids, and hands-on activities to suit every learning style.

In the nursery, children develop early literacy through phonics and letter formation, early numeracy, language development, and general knowledge — carefully designed to transition smoothly into the primary curriculum.

A different kind of experience

Volunteering at Nakulabye isn't a box-ticking exercise. The school's children bring energy, curiosity, and joy to every interaction — and they'll give you as much as you give them.

You'll work in a real school community in the heart of Kampala, with a dedicated head teacher and staff who will make you feel genuinely at home. Whether you come for a week or a month, you'll leave with something you can't get anywhere else.