Uweza Foundation
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 | |
| Predecessor | Faces of Kibera |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2008 |
Area served | Kibera Slum, Nairobi, Kenya |
Key people | Rooney Mara |
| Website | uwezakenya |
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]
Uweza Foundation was established 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]