The Uweza Foundation is a non-profit organization which works to promote human development in the Kibera slum of Nairobi, Kenya. It was founded in 2008 and is registered in the United States as a 501(c)3 organization. ^[1] It is led by actress Rooney Mara. ^[2]

Uweza is named after a Swahili word meaning opportunity, ability, and power. ^[3]

History

Uweza Foundation was founded in 2008. ^[4] Its founder had moved to the country and married a local man after visiting Kenya to volunteer at a children's home in the Kibera slum. ^[4]

In January 2011, Uweza Foundation merged with Faces of Kibera, a charity founded by Rooney Mara. ^[3] Faces of Kibera aimed to provide housing, food, and medical care for orphans by building an orphanage in the region. ^[5] The charity received fundraising support from NFL teams under Mara's leadership. ^[6] Mara had started the charity after she visited the area as a volunteer in 2006 and was moved to help the orphans, many of whom had lost parents to AIDS and HIV-related illnesses. She started her charity out of frustration with the growing number of nonprofits that she viewed as just business opportunities: "The people who need help aren't really getting it. So I started my own", she told Interview magazine in 2009. ^[7] Uweza Foundation continues to be overseen by Mara who serves as president of its board of directors. ^{[2] [5] [8]}

In 2022, Uweza Foundation collaborated with ROAM Gallery and Xtina Parks to showcase work by Kibera artists at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Massachusetts. ^[9]

Areas of focus

The foundation works to empower residents of Kibera, particularly women and youth, through educational programs with a particular focus on supporting the development of young artists and helping artists make a living by marketing their art. ^{[4] [10]} The foundation has focused to empower women and girls by tackling issues facing adolescent girls in Kibara. ^[11] It also hosts a compound allowing students without electricity in their homes study outside of school and sponsors a youth soccer team. ^{[12] [13]}

Uweza Gallery

As one of its activities, the foundation founded the Uweza Gallery in Olympic Estate, Kibera in 2012. ^[14] The gallery features art by local talent and also incubates local emerging talents. It has allowed young artists to fund their education through art. ^[15] The gallery was originally located in an old shipping container but moved in January 2019. ^{[14] [16] [17] [18]}

Coronavirus pandemic

During the Coronavirus pandemic, Uweza cooperated with private-sector partners to form an initiative to promote sanitation in informal settlements such as Kibera and provide free artistic masks to residents designed by a local artist. ^{[19] [20]} The foundation also worked with artists from the Uweza Gallery to create informational murals to create awareness during the pandemic. ^{[21] [22]}

References