Arts Empowerment
Mwalimu Mentorship Program
Mwalimu” is a Swahili word that means tutor.
Mwalimu Mentorship Program is an interest based annual apprenticeship program designed by Streetlights Uganda to linking mentors (Artists) to mentees (Street connected children) between ages 12 and 25 years based on areas and skillsets they are intrested in learning, achieving and growing.
The InSchool and OutSchool Program
Working with school going children during and after school who live in underserved communities
We offer different art projects and workshops to the children and youth (7-20 years). These projects aim at expanding their creativity, keeping them engaged during their school breaks and also providing them with creative and life skills that can them achieve their dreams and aspirations. During after school hours, the children attend art workshops at our Creative center in Soweto-Namuwongo. To reduce homelessness and school drop outs, we plan to start school clubs to educate students on the awareness about the dangers of street life and drug abuse.
Future me
Future me is a mental health project that uses visual art and letter writing to enable children share future goals and aspirations.
With our pilot focus being right after the Pandemic with children 10-19 years, we had beneficiaries share the great lessons they took from the unforeseen Pandemic through writing letters to their future selves of the things they wish they had known or could have done better and only came to this realization after and during the Pandemic plus where they see themselves 10 years after the pandemic. They were also also able to share their experiences of how their lives were affected by Covid 19.
They wrote letters to their future selves on papers and used surgical face masks as well as other recycled items to create wall installations in collage and decoupage. This was basically a redefined and more crafty vision board.
Objectives:
- Encourage positive thinking amidst all situations and focusing on the positive impacts of challenges caused by the pandemic.
- Encourage creativity and use of talent and art as a relaxation tool.
- Promote networking among the people on the community hence become eachothers support system.
- Provide a means and platform to share personal stories and experiences with others hence impacting lives.
Ntunga Program
Ntunga is a luganda word meaning “Am sewing. It falls under the Family arm, mainly done by women in pre-urban settlements in and beyond Kampala.
The purpose is to increase their income inflow as well as help provide for their children in bid to prevent them from running to the streets because of poverty. The women basically learn the process of using a sewing machine and how creative they can design for different garments and other products. The project is currently being done with the women in Kibuli slum in partnership with People Concern Children’s Project. (PCCP) and Hoima in partnership with CoCuDi Center with support from SBC Uganda LTD. The first group of 15 women from Kibuli graduated in October 2017. Out of the 20 women that registered in the first cohort in Hoima before the pandemic, 8 graduated in July 2022. Over the past years the program has graduated and empowered over 160 women.
Tambula project
“Tambula” is a Luganda word meaning walk.
A project that advocates for safe and long-lasting shoes for children who live on the streets and in slums These children normally walk barefoot making them prone to contracting germs and accidents. Using old car tyres, we train these children how to make themselves sandals for use as well as for sale. This is one of the projects we carried out with 15 youth from Ewaka Foundation in 2016.
Bag Yange Project
A project that advances free ownership of a school bag for every child in marginalised communities in Uganda.
The purpose of the project is to make sure every child that lacks a bag in those schools owns a bag locally made from recycled material by themselves. Through the use of old t-shirts, Jeans, other recyclable material, fabric, and a few accessories. The project was done with 20 youth from PCCP in 2017. In December 2022, we launched a Bag Yange (a Luganda word meaning “My bag”) Campaign where we made a call for old jeans to enable the Ntunga women create 200 School bags for children in Buseruka Primary School in Hoima District and were distributed in 2023. In 2024 in partnership with Garda World Uganda we recycled old uniforms into 700 school bags that were distributed to schools in Hoima.
Come Volunteer with Us
Streetlights Art Academy
This is not just an art school but a place where dreams become a reality and where creativity is given the opportunity to thrive. Join us and together let us set up a learning center for children living on the streets.
With three main objectives to:
- Educate former homeless children freely through literacy programs and art education mainly focusing on 5 art disciplines/projects (Fashion, photography, Carpentry, painting and advertising design)
- Engage them with other art loving children that will join the center, mentors, artists and role models
- Entrepreneurship training to connect their creative activities to the economy and find out how they can enter the job market. Below are the five art disciplines to be offered at the academy