Bringing out-of-school children and youth back into learning through Accelerated Education Programmes, STEM and entrepreneurship clubs, Mother-to-Mother support groups, and coordination systems that connect schools, communities, and education authorities across Rhino Camp.
Displacement interrupts education. It disrupts school calendars, separates children from teachers they know, forces families into survival mode where income generation takes priority over school attendance, and places children in systems that may teach in languages they do not speak, using curricula that bear no relationship to their lives. For children who were already behind before displacement, the gap widens further. For adolescents — particularly girls — the window for re-entry into formal education narrows quickly as competing pressures grow.
The Under the Bridge Project addresses this through Accelerated Education Programmes (AEP) — structured learning pathways designed specifically for overage, out-of-school learners who need to catch up to grade level. AEP compresses the standard curriculum into an intensive programme that allows learners to progress quickly through foundational content and re-enter mainstream schooling. YSAT implements AEP across seven primary and six secondary schools in Rhino Camp, working directly with school management committees, district education officers, and community structures to ensure that learners who re-enrol stay in school.
The project also recognises that education access for girls cannot be secured through school-level interventions alone. The Mother-to-Mother support groups bring together women at the community level to advocate for girls' education, share strategies for managing the household and economic pressures that pull girls out of school, and create the social environment in which families choose schooling over early marriage or household labour. STEM and entrepreneurship clubs build learner motivation and aspiration from within the school — giving young people a reason to stay, a set of skills to develop, and a vision of what education can unlock for their futures.
3,680 learners were enrolled under AEP across seven primary and six secondary schools in Rhino Camp. AEP provides structured, compressed learning pathways for overage, out-of-school learners — enabling them to catch up to grade level and re-enter mainstream education. YSAT works with AEP school management committees, Boards of Governors, Youth Education Committees, and district education officers to improve the management and delivery of AEP across all five project locations.
Five school-based STEM and entrepreneurship clubs were established, engaging 100 young people — 51 females and 49 males. The clubs connect learning to practical innovation and business thinking, building learner motivation and giving young people a tangible vision of what education can unlock. 390 youth were empowered with business skills under the Bridge Youth and Adolescent Wing (YAW), and 75 mothers were empowered with business skills alongside their children's education journey.
Ten Mother-to-Mother (M2M) support group sessions were conducted, engaging 75 participants in advocacy and dialogue around school retention and the importance of educating the girl child. M2M sessions were held at Rhino Camp High, Rhino Camp S.S, Otumbari S, St. Luke Widi S.S, and Siripi Modern Secondary School. Each session brought together mothers to share strategies for overcoming the economic, social, and cultural pressures that pull girls out of school — building a community of advocacy around girls' education from within the family.
Five bi-annual coordination meetings were convened with Community Education Committees (CECs), Youth Education Committees (YECs), AEP school management committees, Boards of Governors, and district education officers, bringing together 243 participants. These meetings enhance collaboration and programme effectiveness — ensuring that AEP delivery is accountable to community structures, aligned with district education systems, and continuously improving based on feedback from the schools and communities it serves.
YSAT conducted community-level enrolment advocacy campaigns in the villages of Abaroa and Ombenimva to enrol new female learners at the lower secondary level. 92 host community members attended the campaigns. Community engagement activities were also conducted to raise broader awareness and encourage enrolment of out-of-school children across the settlement, addressing the social norms and economic pressures that keep children — particularly girls — out of school.
Learners enrolled under Accelerated Education Programmes
Youth empowered with business skills under Bridge YAW
Participants in bi-annual education coordination meetings
Mothers empowered through M2M support group sessions