Encouraging Readers in Kampala, Uganda
Cornerstone Leadership Academy for Girls is located near Uganda’s capital city, Kampala. It’s an advanced level boarding high school that aims to make leaders of bright, talented, and disadvantaged girls from throughout Uganda. African Library Project has provided books for other Cornerstone schools as well, including the Cornerstone Leadership Academy for Boys, Cornerstone Secondary School, and Cornerstone Nursery and Primary School.
Learning In Action at Cornerstone Leadership Academy for Girls
The application process for Cornerstone Leadership Academy for Girls is quite rigorous. About 500 students compete for 25 fully funded spots each year. This process generally takes five days and includes a series of leadership challenges. Their success is due largely to the friendships and comradery between small groups of students, which continues as the girls enter university.
Reading Circles are an example of these small groups, and were started by Cathy Kruetter, a library activist and wife of Cornerstone founder. Students are divided into groups of four, called Reading Circles. These groups remain intact for their two years at Cornerstone. They meet weekly to discuss mandatory readings and answer questions about key takeaways, including those pertaining to leadership.
Before they received African Library Project’s book donation, their library only consisted of these mandatory readings and other educational textbooks. Now, the students can enjoy more leisurely reading, as a way to encourage their love for books. We were excited to visit Cornerstone Leadership Academy for Girls, because we know that these students will go on to become leaders within their communities, Uganda, and beyond.
You Can Promote Literacy
If you’re feeling inspired by Sheila’s efforts to improve literacy for children, we’d love for you to check out our ‘Get Involved’ page.
About This Case Study Series
Welcome to our Ugandan Case Study Series featuring 10 libraries recently visited by ALP Founder Chris Bradshaw and ALP Container Manager Tracy Gaestel. Chris and Tracy traveled to Uganda to meet with our partners at enjuba and First Foundation Education Trust. Enjoy this deeper dive into some of our Ugandan libraries.