Namakwa SSS Promotes Community Service to Empower Boys and Strengthen Communities
Namakwa Senior Secondary School in Nakisunga Sub-county, Mukono District, has intensified efforts to promote community service among students, with a special focus on empowering the boy child through active participation in sanitation and environmental conservation activities.
Speaking during a community clean-up exercise at Nakisunga trading center as they mark 50 years in place , the Head Teacher, Ssalongo Robert Mayemba said the school deliberately involves both boys and girls in community service to instill responsibility, discipline and a spirit of teamwork.
“We have engaged both girls and boys in community service, but we are giving special emphasis to the boy child because society has recently neglected him,” Mayemba said. “We believe that responsibility belongs to everyone. Cleaning homes and communities is not work meant only for girls. Boys should also take pride in keeping their homes and surroundings clean.”
He noted that the school has strengthened guidance and counseling programmes to mentor boys about their responsibilities within their families and communities. Students are also encouraged to join clubs such as the Do-It-Yourself Club, which equips them with practical life skills and prepares them to become responsible men in the future.
“We regularly organise counselling sessions where we remind our boys of their responsibilities as future fathers, leaders and citizens. Through clubs and community service, we are shaping responsible young people,” Mayemba added.
Science student Akram Mulindwa said participating in community work challenges outdated beliefs that sanitation activities are only for girls.
“By taking part in cleaning the community, we are showing people that boys can also contribute to keeping the environment clean. Hygiene and sanitation are everyone’s responsibility, not just the girls’. We work together because a clean environment benefits all of us,” Mulindwa said.
The school’s Head Boy, Ntulume Ezra Jovan, described community service as an important tool for promoting equality, discipline and hard work among learners.
“Many people believe cleaning homes and communities is only for girls, but I believe it is equally important for boys,” he said. “When boys participate in household and community work, it promotes gender equality, love within families and respect for one another.”
Ezra added that engaging boys in productive activities also helps reduce idleness, which often exposes young people to negative influences such as drug and alcohol abuse.
“When boys are occupied with meaningful activities like community service, they are less likely to engage in harmful behaviours. Such programmes build discipline, encourage hard work and prepare us to become responsible citizens,” he said.
The community clean-up exercise forms part of Namakwa Senior Secondary School’s broader initiative to promote civic responsibility, environmental cleanliness and equal participation among students regardless of gender. School leaders say the programme is helping challenge stereotypes while nurturing a generation of disciplined, hardworking and socially responsible young people.
