UZIMA Foundation

UZIMA Foundation was registered in Kenya in 1995 as a charitable trust and is now also a registered NGO to work in Kenya, Africa and beyond. UZIMA Foundation recognizes and appreciates the potential and assets inherent in young people; among them innovative spirit, enthusiasm, energy, openness, fair play, courage and optimism.

UZIMA Foundation’s mission is to create social space and promote an enabling environment for Youth Empowerment that facilitates access to decision-making opportunities for young women and men, for holistic improvement of the quality of their lives and that of their communities. The modality through which UZIMA Foundation addresses this mission is the UZIMA Youth group. By December 2005, there were over 100 UZIMA youth groups with over 20,000 members.

UZIMA Foundation envisions informed, skilled and healthy young women and men in Africa proactively working with experienced people to improve the quality of their lives in ways that contribute to creating an environment for sustainable development in their communities and the nation in the context of gender equity.

UZIMA Foundation is playing an active role in the efforts to restore peace in Kenyan communities following the violence that rocked all corners of the country following the announcement of the 2007 presidential election results which were released after a flawed vote tallying processes.. UZIMA Foundation is uniquely placed for this work for a variety of reasons.

1. UZIMA Foundation is a youth based youth-serving organisation focusing on youth empowerment that stimulates young men and women to define, plan for and act to experience improved quality life for themselves and their communities. As most of the violence is being perpetrated by young men, albeit on the instructions of older men, UZIMA youth can relate directly to the concerns and attitudes of those perpetrating the violence and thus can help identify approaches which have a higher chance of succeeding.
2. UZIMA Foundation, in its more than 10 years of existence, has always highlighted the importance of having positive relationships between UZIMA youth and their families and communities. UZIMA Foundation has always worked with the youth in their communities. This means that UZIMA Foundation is deeply embedded in many of the communities which have been affected by the violence. Rather than having to start form scratch to build up effective relationships through which to work, UZIMA is already in a position of trust in many of the affected communities because of the work it has been carrying out for over 10 years.
3. UZIMA Foundation has been running a very successful Alternative to Violence Programme (AVP) for the last 8 years. UZIMA Foundation members have travelled as far as Rwanda and the Middle East to assist in peace efforts in communities rocked with violence. This training and international exposure means that UZIMA Foundation as an organisation has the skills, expertise and experience to carry out effective peace and reconciliation work in communities shaken by violence.
4. UZIMA Foundation, as a national home grown Kenyan foundation active in many parts of the country and with a leadership drawn from all over Kenya, understands the concerns, fears and angers of local communities while retaining a national “big picture” outlook on the crisis.

Contact details

Executive Director: Mrs. Malesi Kinaro

Telephone: +254.20.2726911
Physical + mailing address:
32/203 Mbaruk Road, Golf Course
P.O. Box 4356 – 00200
Nairobi, Kenya

Email: info [@] uzimafoundation.org
Website: http://uzimafoundation.org/