01 · Eco-Schools
The building is the curriculum.
This program retrofits rural schools with affordable sustainability technology — water, sanitation, energy and food production — and writes those systems into what students are actually taught, so the school building itself becomes the teaching tool.
In many rural communities, the school is the most stable, shared institution: a place where children, parents and local leaders already come together. Starting with the school means new infrastructure is visible, trusted and quickly woven into daily life. When a school becomes a working example of clean water, safe sanitation, reliable power and food production, it sets a standard the wider community can see and adapt.
Eco-Schools are designed to be built in phases. A school can begin with a small set of upgrades — for example, rainwater harvesting and improved toilets — and then add solar power, efficient cooking, school gardens or digital tools as funding allows. Each phase is planned so that new systems plug into what is already there, avoiding stranded or unused equipment.
In the classroom, students do more than learn that a technology exists. They explore why a particular solution fits their climate, culture and local economy. Lessons link directly to the systems on site: how much water the tanks collect, how solar output changes through the year, how compost or biochar improves soil, and how these choices affect household budgets and health.
To help other schools replicate the model, a free template of the Kenya eco-school design is available on request. It outlines core building blocks, suggested phasing and curriculum links, so partners can adapt the approach to their own context without starting from scratch.
Pilot site: Kwoncok Eco-School
The first full Eco-School pilot is underway at Kwoncok Secondary School in Madi Opei, northern Uganda. The project includes new and upgraded secondary school buildings designed around natural light, ventilation and safe, shared spaces.
A secure compound wall with surveillance helps protect students, staff and equipment, while keeping the campus open and welcoming to the wider community. Inside the grounds, an eLearning platform — known locally as the “Village Intranet” — connects classrooms, the library and community spaces, giving students and neighbors access to offline digital resources even where internet connectivity is limited.
The campus also hosts a Community Resource Center for vocational training, where young people and adults can learn practical skills linked to the school’s systems: from maintaining solar panels and water pumps to running small enterprises based on agriculture and local services. Together, these elements turn the school into a hub for both education and community development.
Location — Madi Opei, Uganda
Status —
Partner —
Local contact — Harriet Awate