In Uganda our partners combines social enterprising with art.
This project is located within the areas of Kamwokya and Kyebando in Kampala Central. Kamwokya and Kyebando being a slum set village are faced by many challenges. The area is densely populated with an estimated number of above 40.000 people. A majority of its inhabitants are children and youths.
Unfortunately, most of the families in these areas are poor because of illiteracy and also because of gambling and promiscuity and the uncensored media. These issues make life challenging and affect everyone. Most men in slums have dropped their responsibilities to look after their families, because of tough economic situation, lack of employment, rural urban migration, broken marriages, domestic violence, early sex marriage and polygamy which leads to single mothers. Many children do not get a chance to go to school. And for those that are lucky to go to school, they may graduate as school dropper outs. Many of the adolescent girls resort to prostitution which leads to unwanted pregnancies, acquisition of HIV/AIDS and eventually death.
The objective with the programme is to provide a physical and mental platform to transform lives of disadvantaged people. Through all forms art including music, dance, drama and visual art and even sports, we work with awareness rising of human rights, children’s rights and women’s rights. The togetherness also offers motivation, joy and strength. We focus on individual artists as well as joint community projects. We work with teaching and mentoring of upcoming young artists, social events with children, and refugee’s awareness raising session about early pregnancies. The output also offers beauty to the community, as well as awareness messages by for example mural paintings.
Sustainable economy: Through small-scale and home businesses support we generate an income for the participants and for the long-term management of the programme. The businesses included sales of personal art works, but also addresses cooking, tailoring, knitting, hair dressing, vegetable cultivation, street-food, and production of writing books.
About Bernard OMONY: Mr OMONY is freelance artist, painter and graphic designer. He has 17 years of experience from working in the slum communities of Kamwokya and Kyebando. Mr OMONY is doing personal art works as well as projects with other artists. He sells his products in craft shops and through friends, galleries and exhibitions in middle Ugandan, and to foreign tourists. He is also teaching and mentoring upcoming young artists. As a result of his seniority and experience he is the one contracted for other projects such as empowering refugees from South Sudan in the people in the Adjumani and Moyo refugee camps. Mr OMONY often take initiatives to start and to lead new projects, such as the ongoing ghetto mural paintings, where he and his colleague artist share empowering messages about human rights.