Naguru Social School
A model for All
Naguru Social School was active from 2022 until December 2025, when the project came to a close. Over those four years, football became a powerful vehicle for education, inclusion and development within the Naguru community. The project supported more than 280 girls and boys aged 6 to 12, with its impact extending to their families and the wider community.
Reflecting our commitment to SDG 4: Quality Education, the initiative brought together sport, education and community engagement to foster values such as respect, discipline, teamwork and responsibility. What began as our first social project evolved into a model that shaped our approach, allowing us to learn, grow and lay the foundations for the initiatives that followed at the Xcalibur Foundation.
Our Commitment to Education and Sport
Football already played a central role in daily life in Naguru, and we saw its potential to bring people together and strengthen social cohesion. Weekly sports training therefore became one of the project’s core pillars, with sessions tailored to girls and boys aged 6 to 12.
Sport provided a way to develop qualities that mattered far beyond the pitch, including discipline, teamwork, respect and perseverance. The programme also placed a strong emphasis on education, with participation linked to school enrolment and regular attendance. Working closely with Naguru Katali Primary School, we encouraged participants to remain engaged in their education and attend school consistently.
The project also addressed practical barriers that directly affected school attendance and participants’ well-being, including limited access to appropriate hygiene supplies and challenges associated with menstruation. In response, we introduced a Menstrual Hygiene Management programme, combining awareness and educational sessions for girls, boys and caregivers with the distribution of menstrual products and personal hygiene supplies.
Families were another essential part of the project. Through meetings and home visits, we worked with them to reinforce the importance of education and help create a supportive home environment that encouraged each participant’s development and future prospects.
A Project Built Through Collaboration
Everything achieved in Naguru was made possible by the organisations, institutions, professionals and families who supported the project throughout its four years.
Youth Sports Uganda was a key local partner, helping to deliver activities and supporting the programme on a day-to-day basis. The Real Madrid Foundation contributed to the training of coaches, social workers and teachers through its educational methodology, For a REAL Education: Values and Sport, which uses sport as a vehicle for education in values.
Likewise, the collaboration and support of public authorities such as the KCCA (Kampala Capital City Authority) and the Ugandan Ministry of Education, together with Naguru Katali Primary School, the participants’ families and the wider community, made it possible to develop an initiative that brought together education, sport, health and social support.
We would like to express our sincere gratitude to everyone who was part of a project that also marked the beginning of our own journey as a foundation.
The legacy of Naguru
Naguru was much more than our first project. It was where we saw first-hand that sport could become a powerful tool for education, support and social transformation. Over the years, we had the privilege of walking alongside more than 280 girls and boys, their families, our partners and an entire community that placed its trust in us.
The project may have come to a close in 2025, but what we built together lives on. The experiences, lessons and people we came to know in Uganda continue to shape the way we understand the Xcalibur Foundation’s mission and have inspired many of the projects that followed.
Much of what we learned came directly from the participants themselves. Watching their progress over the years, accompanying them as they grew, and seeing many of them move on to secondary education while carrying with them the values and lessons gained through the project has undoubtedly been our greatest source of satisfaction.
To everyone who made the Naguru Social School possible, we extend our most sincere gratitude.
- Javier Lezcano
Executive Director, Xcalibur Foundation
Committed to change
Through our projects, we are committed to creating a positive and lasting impact in the communities we serve. Using a methodology that harnesses sport as a tool for social transformation, together with values-based education, we work to reduce inequalities and improve community health and well-being. We believe that every young person deserves the opportunity to reach their full potential, and we work to help make that opportunity a reality.
Explore our active projects, join us in our mission and become part of the change we want to see in the world. Together, we can build a better future for generations to come.
