Rising Stars Program

What Makes Our Rising Stars Program Different?

Rukundo is committed to protecting the dignity of our children and their parents and creating an equitable playing field.

We understand that child sponsorship has significant benefits. Sponsored children stay in school longer and are more likely to secure jobs and be leaders in their communities compared to their non-sponsored peers. In Uganda, sponsored children are 42% more likely to finish secondary education than those not sponsored, and 83% more likely to complete university.*
(*Source: Does International Child Sponsorship Work? New Research Says Yes.)

However, Rukundo International is mindful of the potentially damaging effects of traditional direct child-sponsorship models. These programs often single out vulnerable children, who often already feel insecure, creating an environment of stigma and shame for both students and their parents.

The Rising Stars program was designed to maximize the benefits for every child in our school, whether their parents have the ability to pay school fees or not. Furthermore, our students’ parents are fully aware that the high standards of our school cannot be maintained without outside support, enabling us to set realistic expectations within our community.

To uphold our values, we’ve developed distinct guidelines and communication templates to help you and our students form a genuine, personal connection, opening the door for authentic, cross-cultural learning. Our goal is to promote education and advocacy while helping both parties gain a broader and more diverse understanding of our shared world, rather than creating unfair comparisons for young children in developing countries.