Life After Debt
Suggested age range: 13 - 16 yearsEstimated time required: video contains three short films of three minutes each; variable time required for support materials
Format: VHS video; A4 booklet Details: With the full title Life After Debt: Exploring the impact of debt relief in Uganda, this powerful and illuminating teaching resource presents three case studies showing debt relief in practice. The video contains three short films and the teachers' notes contain background information on international debt and Uganda, and material for six classroom activities. Film One: In Uganda, primary school attendance rose from 2.5 million children to over 7 million in the first four years after debt relief. At Naisanga Primary School, teachers now have classes of over 200, since debt relief enabled the government to abolish primary school fees, which allowed many more children to join the school. Film Two: This tells the story of Rose Lukungu, a single mother and peasant farmer, who could barely feed her children until a farming adviser, paid from debt relief money, showed her how to transform her vegetable patch into a profit-making business. Film Three: This looks at what debt relief has meant to Bugono Health Centre which now has its first doctor, and patients no longer die of preventable diseases. Even though this was produced in 2002, very few of the facts are now out of date, and this remains a useful and relevant resource, particularly as its focus is on the results of debt relief and not current campaigning.
Please note: subtitles are used throughout the three films, along with spoken English.
Publisher: Oxfam; 2002
Cost: £9.10 Curriculum Links include:
