Who we are
UCEP’s mission is to support as many out-of-school children as possible to begin and complete their education journey, and to pursue their chosen careers. We also provide mentorship focused on positive personal development, alongside safeguarding guidance to ensure children are supported in a safe and nurturing environment.
Our mission
Who is UCEP?
The Uwakaneme Community Education Project (UCEP) is a UK-registered charity dedicated to transforming the lives of disadvantaged children in rural West Africa. Its mission is to fund school fees, provide mentorship, and deliver safeguarding support to out-of-school children, enabling them to complete their education, develop strong character, and break the cycle of poverty. UCEP works in partnership with its sister organisation in Nigeria, the Uwakaneme Community Education Foundation (UCEF), and is supported by a network of over 40 volunteers across the United Kingdom and Nigeria.
What does UCEP do?
The first part of UCEP’s work is to pay school fees and provide learning materials, so as to get out-of-school children off the streets and into school. However, this alone is not sufficient, as after school, the children return to the same environment where they remain exposed to potential exploitation and danger.
The second part of our work lies at the heart of our mission. Our village-based, community-focused approach enables us to provide ongoing mentoring that promotes life skills, positive self-development, good citizenship, and safeguarding. We work in partnership with parents, teachers, and community elders to support the holistic development of our pupils.
What is the impact?
We measure outcomes using school attendance records, academic results, and structured feedback from children, teachers, parents, field coordinators, and village leaders on behavioural development.
The UCEP Project has delivered measurable and meaningful improvements in early childhood education outcomes across multiple class levels. Data collected and analysed over three recent academic sessions show consistent year-on-year progress in key developmental indicators, reflecting the effectiveness of UCEP’s interventions.
In one village cluster, our intervention contributed to sustained school attendance rates of over 95% per term across the reviewed sessions. Students in this cluster also achieved average academic performance above 70%, with most ranking between 3rd and 7th positions in their respective classes.
Additional performance data indicate notable improvements in student discipline and engagement with school routines, interpersonal skills, confidence, resilience, and overall well-being.
