In the dusty school playground of Mugyenza Primary School in Uganda’s Kagadi District, Derrick Alinaitwe leads the girls’ football team through dynamic training drills on the school field. To an outsider, it might look like playtime. But for Derrick, a Teach For Uganda Fellow and Environmental Science graduate, it’s a teaching tool, one that builds confidence, teamwork, and curiosity among his learners.
When he joined the fellowship two years ago, Derrick’s dream wasn’t to stand in front of a chalkboard. He wanted to empower young people and drive climate action. But placed in a rural school struggling with illiteracy and dropout, he quickly realized that leadership begins right where the problem is.
“Leadership isn’t a title, it’s owning the mess and fixing it,” he says quietly, his voice carrying the weight of experience.
Confronting the Chaos: Turning Struggles into Solutions
When Derrick first arrived, more than half his students couldn’t read basic words, and many skipped class to fetch water or work on farms. Determined to change this, he went door to door, meeting parents and listening to their stories. Many were sceptical, and poverty often made school feel like a luxury. But through honest conversations and persistence, Derrick earned their trust. Together, they made a pact: to keep children in school and nurture a love for learning at home.
Alinaitwe guides a learner through a reading exercise, surrounded by books he mobilized through the Africa Education Leadership Initiative, planting a culture of literacy that will outlast his fellowship.
In his classroom, Derrick started small, daily affirmations, simple phonics games, and story circles under a mango tree. “I am smart. My voice counts. I can change my world,” his pupils would chant each morning. Slowly, confidence took root. Within a year, literacy rates rose from under 30% to over 80%. Parents began to notice, with one mother sharing how her son now reads bedtime stories to his siblings.
To sustain the progress, Derrick sourced donated books and transformed an empty classroom corner into a small reading hub.
“Books aren’t luxuries, they’re lifelines,” he says, his eyes lighting up.
Greening the Future: Planting Roots of Resilience
Inspired by his learners’ growing environmental consciousness, Derrick launched a community tree planting initiative around Mugyenza Primary School. With support from local leaders and parents, they planted over 300 indigenous trees, mango, jackfruit, and neem along school paths and nearby homesteads.
Learners from Mugyenza Primary School showcase young trees from the school’s nursery, an initiative championed by Derrick to nurture environmentally conscious leaders.
Most of these trees are directly planted by the learners, symbolizing personal responsibility and hope.
“We’re not just planting trees,” Derrick explains, “we’re planting values, patience, care, and legacy.”
Tackling the Basics: Water, Health, and Hope
Beyond literacy, Derrick saw how the lack of clean water deepened school challenges. Children missed class to fetch it, and frequent illness disrupted learning. Rallying teachers, parents, and the Uganda Water Project, he helped install a 10,000-litre tank at the school.
Teach For Uganda Fellows Alinaitwe Derrick and Tuhaise Moureen beam with pride beside the newly installed school water facility, made possible through their tireless mobilization and support from The Water Project.
There were setbacks, leaks, and delays, but teamwork prevailed. Today, clean water flows freely, absenteeism has dropped by a quarter, and hygiene practices have improved.
“Unity turns obstacles into opportunities,” Derrick reflects.
Eco-Sport: Where Play Meets Purpose
Derrick uses football to inspire girls to stay in school.
Blending his love for the environment and sport, Derrick founded Eco-Sport, a football program that uses the game to teach teamwork, discipline, and environmental stewardship. After matches, learners discuss deforestation, plastic waste, and local conservation efforts. One former truant now captains the team and leads a community clean-up drive.
“Football unites us,” Derrick smiles, “but the real win is seeing children take ownership of their planet.”
A group of learners from the girls’ football team mimic Cristiano Ronaldo’s iconic celebration ahead of a school match.
From Fellow to Changemaker
Before joining Teach For Uganda, Derrick imagined shaping policy from afar. The fellowship showed him the power of action on the ground. With mentorship and hands-on training, he learned to mobilize communities, manage setbacks, and lead with empathy.
“I’ve learned that change starts with what’s in front of you,” he says.
As Derrick’s fellowship concludes, his legacy endures. Mugyenza’s learners are reading, leading, and reimagining their futures, with gardens, debates, and ideas that go beyond the classroom. He hopes to expand Eco-Sport across the district, inspiring a generation of changemakers who see education as the key to a sustainable future.
In Kagadi, Derrick proves that one teacher’s courage can spark a movement.
