Welcome to Friends of UNIFAT (FOU).
The Upper Nile Institute for Appropriate Technology or UNIFAT Primary School was founded in Gulu, Uganda to provide sanctuary, educational opportunities, and a loving environment to orphans and refugee families fleeing from atrocities that ravaged rural communities in Northern Uganda from the mid-1980’s through 2006.
In 1985 Abitimo Rebecca Odongkara returned from exile, and together with friends began providing lessons for these orphans. As the number of refugees increased and enrollment swelled to 1500 students, the city of Gulu donated land for a campus.
Today, Abitimo’s legacy of learning through love and understanding and her desire to not only educate children but to instill in them the values of love and peace are the defining principles of the school. By keeping tuition low it maintains a commitment to serving all members of the community while maintaining high academic standards, and continues to be recognized as among the best elementary schools in Uganda.
2nd grade class and classroom at UNIFAT, 1994
Abitimo Rebecca Odongkara
Breaking News
Bringing Solar Power to UNIFAT
Bringing solar power to the UNIFAT Primary School.
Current entrance to the UNIFAT campus
Recent Activities
Professional Training Workshop
Teaching Life Skills for Global Citizenship.
Digital Literacy for the 21st Century
Designing, equipping, and staffing a Digital Learning Center for teachers and students.
Bringing Solar Power to UNIFAT
Bringing solar power to the UNIFAT Primary School.
Mini-Grants
Providing support for student outreach projects based on the Sustainable Development Goals.
Pandemic Relief
Supporting teachers during over a year without salary.
Friends of UNIFAT is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization founded in 2005 in Philadelphia, PA by the friends and family Abitimo Rebecca Odongkara, the founder of the UNIFAT Primary School. We support the educational and peace-building programs of UNIFAT through fund-raising activities, governance, and on-site workshops, and are partners with the school’s management and teaching staff in helping them meet the challenges of incorporating 21st century learning skills into their curriculum while honoring traditional regional cultures and Abitimo’s legacy.