Sweet dreams, Kasimeri

There was a moment, during the visit to Kasimeri Primary School in October 2024, when words stopped being enough. Francesca Costantini, then International Projects Manager at ISP in Africa, captures it well in her account of that journey: four hundred and ten boys sleeping in a hovel, each with half a mattress on the ground, a few cockroaches, a few rats. No number carries the weight of that image.

Kasimeri Primary School is located in Moroto, in the heart of Karamoja — the poorest region of northeastern Uganda, where over 80% of children between the ages of 6 and 18 live in extreme poverty and only 13% complete primary school. Founded in 1965, the school welcomes nearly 2,000 students, more than 800 of whom live on campus as boarders. For many of them, this is not a privilege: it is the only way to free their days from domestic duties — fetching water from the well, tending livestock, cooking — and find time to study, to play, to simply be children.

Dormitory A has irreparable structural damage, materials that no longer meet current regulations, a roof that leaks during the rains, and no emergency exits. The result is chronic overcrowding in Dormitory B and, during the rainy season, dozens of boys sleeping on classroom floors on makeshift mattresses.

With the Kasimeri Project, promoted by Casa Costa Foundation ETS in partnership with ISP in Africa, we will build a new male dormitory that meets national standards, giving over 400 students a safe and dignified place to live.

Project objectives

1. Reduce overcrowding by 50%: the new dormitory will relieve pressure on the existing structure, eliminating the use of classrooms for overnight sleeping.
2. Ensure safety and hygiene: the new spaces will fully comply with Ugandan national standards for boarding school facilities — the same standards the government recently tightened following incidents in schools across the country.

Planned activities

Demolition and construction. Dormitory A will be demolished with proper disposal of debris, some of which no longer complies with current regulations. The construction company will be selected through a competitive tender process involving at least four local firms, evaluated on a quality/cost basis. Works will be supervised by the ISP in Africa Technical Officer; compliance of the completed building will be certified by the Moroto District Engineer.

Furnishings. The new dormitory will be equipped with 110 metal bunk beds, purchased from local suppliers through a comparative evaluation of at least three quotes.

Student training. ISP in Africa will run educational sessions for the 410 resident students: four groups, four two-day sessions each, using non-formal education methods — cooperative games and arts-based activities — covering personal hygiene, dormitory safety, and collective care of shared spaces. At the end of the programme, students will form an internal committee for the upkeep of the dormitory.

Patron training. The four boarding supervisors will receive a dedicated five-day training programme, with a practical handbook on hygiene, maintenance, and space management that will remain as a daily working tool.

Monitoring and sustainability

Monitoring will be conducted on a weekly basis throughout the project, with on-site visits by the Project Coordinator and the ISP in Africa Technical Officer, continuing after construction is complete. Casa Costa Foundation ETS plans a direct evaluation mission to Uganda in October 2026.

At the close of the project, ownership and management of the dormitory will formally transfer to Kasimeri Primary School and the Moroto District Education Office, under a memorandum of understanding defining responsibilities and long-term maintenance commitments.

Project figures

410 male student direct beneficiaries · 110 metal bunk beds · 4 supervisors trained · total cost €91,284 · contribution from the Autonomous Province of Bolzano €63,199 · contribution from Casa Costa Foundation ETS €28,085

Sweet dreams, Kasimeri. Soon you'll have a place worthy of you.