Initiative for Mtoto wa Shule (IMS)

The Initiative for Mtoto wa Shule (IMS) is a Ugandan youth-led organization founded in 2021 to combat school dropout, fight poverty, and reduce HIV/AIDS risks by ensuring vulnerable children and adolescents remain in the educational system. IMS was established to address the rising number of at-risk children, adolescents, and unemployed youth—especially sexually exploited adolescent girls, children of sex workers, and marginalized youth in slums and rural areas—who face systemic barriers to education, skills development, and economic empowerment. IMS believes education is a powerful tool for reducing HIV vulnerability by keeping young people in safe learning spaces and reducing reliance on transactional sex and other high-risk survival strategies. Through education, vocational training, and economic empowerment, IMS provides sustainable pathways for at-risk youth to achieve self-reliance. Strategic Focus Areas for IMS include: 1. Equitable Access to Education – IMS removes barriers that prevent marginalized children and adolescents from attending school through scholarships, vocational training, and alternative education pathways for sexually exploited girls, children of sex workers, refugees, and other vulnerable youth. 2. Retention & School Success – IMS helps at-risk learners stay in school by implementing: • The Parents Education Insurance Scheme (PEIS) – A community-led school financing model that enables families to plan for education costs. • The SUCCESS Model – A system for tracking and supporting at-risk students with timely interventions. • The Retention Centre – A safe space offering counseling, mentorship, and academic support to students at risk. 3. Education to Economic Empowerment – IMS links education to sustainable livelihoods by equipping youth with vocational skills, entrepreneurship support, and financial literacy training, ensuring they transition into employment and break the cycles of poverty and HIV risks.