About Us

Alito Sub County in Kole District has been grappling with a serious issue: a high rate of teenage pregnancy, with a significant number of antenatal care attendees being teenagers. The area also suffers from rampant child marriage and high school dropout rates. This is a stark contrast to over 40 years ago when schools in the sub county, like Abim Primary School, produced students with outstanding grades who went on to achieve great success in their careers. Today, these same schools struggle to produce students with good grades, and children in Primary 4 barely have verbal proficiency.

This decline can be traced back to the devastating impact of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) insurgency, which tore through Northern Uganda, including Kole District. The war, led by Joseph Kony, shattered the social and cultural fabric of the region, uprooting traditional values and disrupting the education system. Schools were destroyed or abandoned, and many children were forced to drop out or flee into hiding. As a result, a generation of youth grew up in the shadow of conflict, with little access to quality education or stable home environments. The war left scars that still affect the community today, including widespread poverty, trauma, and a breakdown of social structures.

Witnessing this decline firsthand, two siblings, deeply connected to the community and one of whom is an alumnus of Abim Primary School, decided they couldn’t stand by and watch. Driven by a sense of responsibility and a desire to restore the community’s former glory, they envisioned a way to make a difference. They recognized that empowering and encouraging the learners wasn’t enough; they also needed to support parents, teachers, and the youth to rebuild their communities together.

With this vision in mind, the siblings set up a community bookshelf in their parents’ home. This space became a hub for learners to access educational materials, play board games, and spend a few hours on weekends constructively reading together. The bookshelf was more than just a collection of books; it was a symbol of hope and a step toward changing the narrative in their community.

This grassroots initiative eventually grew into the Meraki Action Initiative, an organization committed to providing equitable health services for adolescents and ensuring inclusive, quality education through community participation and youth involvement. The siblings’ personal journey and commitment to their community laid the foundation for Meraki’s mission to drive positive change in Alito Sub County and the Lango sub-region as a whole.