Students across Kenya are currently on a long break from school until the end of April and this can be a risky time for children in Kibera if they are not engaged in productive activities. So for the next several weeks, we will be holding our art classes six days…
“I think anyone can do art as long as they have passion for it. Female representation in art spaces is small, including here at Uweza. Being in this space comes with lots of challenges, especially being a woman. I am a mother to a 5 year-old and sometimes motherhood, among other…
“Being a young mother, married, and going back to high school has been a struggle, especially now that national exams are around the corner. I almost lost hope. In addition to providing a scholarship, Uweza covers the costs of daycare for my daughter. I don’t have to worry about her…
This month, our art program turned ten years old. What once started as an art class in a room of our community center in November 2011 has now bloomed into Uweza Art Gallery. Over the last 10 years, our art program has nurtured talented artists in Kibera by providing them…
Young people need continuous support in the form of mentorship and development of social and life skills. In a fast changing world, navigating life can be challenging and without adult support and guidance for the youth, we could lose them to social ills, depression and anxiety that would adversely affect…
(Photo credit: http://www.screenshotproductions.org) Covid-19 robbed people’s livelihoods. Communities like those Uweza supports experienced job losses and became even more vulnerable. At the height of the pandemic in 2020, families living in urban informal settlements were worst hit. With prolonged lockdowns, curfews and closure of schools; many were pushed to the…
By: Atieno Muyuyi Photo credit: Mufadhal Musa Having periods is still unaffordable in Kenya…we still have a big number of teenage girls and even married women who can’t access sanitary towels or afford to buy one! We still have areas that use traditional methods when it comes to menstruation! We…
In 2017, Uweza artists Syimon and Kevin started a t-shirt printing company. Combining savings from the sales of their paintings at the gallery and jobs they held, they purchased their first printing machine and started to spread the word among friends. They ran their new business out of their house…
[Norman started his formal education at Olympic Primary School in 2009, sponsored by Uweza. Last month, he completed high school with a grade of A on his KCSE exams! Norman was just 5 points behind the top student in Kenya, his classmate at Murang’a High School. He earned A’s in…
