Blog

“You cannot expect a child to focus on mathematics when they are silently grieving the loss of their mother/father.”

In classrooms across Uganda and across Africa thousands of children sit with blank stares, not because they lack pencils or books, but because they carry invisible wounds. They’ve lost parents, caregivers, homes, and hope. They’ve been forced to grow up too quickly. And many of them, while physically present in school, are emotionally absent. When a child loses a parent or caregiver, the trauma that follows often stays hidden but its impact on education is loud and clear. At Pencils of Hope Africa (POHA), we believe that before we hand a child a schoolbook, we must first offer them compassion, safety, and healing. Because without emotional support, learning simply cannot thrive.

The Numbers We Don’t Talk About;  Over 2.5 million children in Uganda are orphans nearly 13% of the entire child population (Source: Uganda Bureau of Statistics, UNICEF), 1 in every 4 households in Uganda cares for at least one orphaned child. (UBOS, 2022)
A study by the World Bank found that orphaned children are less likely to enroll in school, and those who do are more likely to repeat or drop out due to trauma, poverty, or caregiving burdens. In Uganda, emotional and behavioral disorders often linked to grief and trauma affect up to 17% of school-going children, according to Makerere University research. 

A South African study found that children who have lost their mother are significantly less likely to be enrolled in school, and if they do attend, they complete fewer years of education compared to peers. According to UNESCO, in sub-Saharan Africa, orphaned children face up to 40% higher risk of school dropout than non-orphaned peers. In Ethiopia, losing a parent reduced school enrollment by around 20%, with literacy dropping by 21–27% among children left behind.

Grief doesn’t show up on report cards. It shows up in the eyes of a girl who sits silently at the back of the class, In the frequent “sick days” of a boy who used to love school, In the anger outbursts. The lost focus, The hopelessness.

So yea, these aren't just numbers they represent real children in rural  Uganda, rural Africa who wake up every day without someone to care for their grief, without hope.

When a child loses a loved one, especially a primary caregiver, the emotional impact is life-altering. But grief also affects the brain’s ability to learn:

• Reduced concentration and memory

• Behavioral changes (aggression, withdrawal)

• Physical symptoms (fatigue, headaches, stomach aches)

• Anxiety and depression, which often go undiagnosed and untreated

These are not just emotional hurdles, they are barriers to education. A pencil is powerful, however if a child feels broken inside, even the sharpest pencil cannot write their future.

At Pencils of Hope Africa, we don’t just give children what they need to stay in school, we give them reasons to hope again. That’s why we’re introducing the Healing Hearts Program, a core part of our long-term mission.

Through this program, we aim to:

• Offer grief counseling and trauma support to orphaned and bereaved children

• Create safe spaces where children can express pain through drawing, writing, talking, or silence

• Train teachers and community mentors to recognize signs of grief and respond with empathy

• Use art, play, and storytelling as therapeutic tools for children with no words for their pain

Why “Healing Before Homework” Isn’t Just a Slogan, We refuse to treat school supplies as the only need. Yes, a pencil can open doors, But emotional healing keeps the child walking through that door. And while grief counseling might not be flashy or fast, it is foundational. It’s how we give these children a chance to reclaim their joy, their voice, and their education.

 At Pencils of Hope Africa, every pencil we distribute, every learning space we build, and every story we listen to is rooted in one belief: No child should be left to grieve alone.

We walk with them gently, quietly, and consistently until they are ready to learn again.

📣 Join Us

• Are you a counselor, teacher, or volunteer passionate about child well-being?

• Do you want to help us train caregivers and community workers?

• Can you donate towards building safe spaces for grieving children?

Then you are part of the healing.

Let’s show these children they are not forgotten.

Emotional wounds may not bleed, but they are real.

Grief may not be in the syllabus, but it is in every classroom.

Let’s choose to begin to heal first, then teach.