As a Teach For Uganda fellow, Charles Obore learned that mobilizing collective leadership among the school community was a powerful way to achieve significant and sustainable impact within the lives of his students and their families. This experience deepened his conviction that in order to overcome the inequities they face, communities need to recognize and reclaim their collective power and leadership to create change. 

Charles grew up in Aterai village, a community that has experienced many inequities as well as the disruption and trauma of war. Inspired both by his deep love for his community and by his experience as a teacher and Teach For Uganda fellow, Charles began to provide classes for up to 300 children from his village and the neighboring communities. From there he went on to establish the Communities Beyond Imagination Academy, through which he and his friends have begun to mobilize their communities around initiatives focused on girls’ education, gender equity, sustainable agriculture, and economic development. 

In this video Charles shares his approach to mobilizing collective leadership among his fellow community members, what he’s learning from the experience, and why it matters.