Organisation Profile

Art for Children Uganda (ACU) was started by two motivated artists as a community based organization with the aim of transforming visual ART to create awareness, influence historical events, allow creative participation, promote psychosocial healing and develop talents for development among children and youth. The duo were being inspired by the children's talents and further encouraged by their teachers to set up ACU to teach arts education to children not to produce more artists, though that is a by-product but to create a complete human beings capable of leading successful and productive lives.

Why ART?
ACU believes that ART is a basic to foster brain and skills development. Children in quality art programs benefit from a wide range of positive effects especially those that provide experiences that cannot be duplicated by other means. ART develops social skills, gives pleasure, foster child development, provides meaning to our daily experience, promotes team work, encourages children to share ideas and enables them to discover a range and variety of what they are capable of doing.  When children and youth learn and participate in arts, they acquire skills that help them in decision making, problem solving and creative thinking.

Our first project was Creative Art Programs in Internal Displace Peoples Camps which includeed music, dance, drama, visual arts, games and sports with children and youth to allow creative expression, increasing access to play, entertainment, peace building and talent identification and development.

Since its inception, the organisation has grown with its programs covering 36 primary schools in 5 districts of Lango sub region in a span of 5 years.

Current programs
• Art based education
• Life skill training
• Promotion of Child Rights
• Youth Empowerment
• Psychosocial support
• Art and Culture

Achievements
• Conducted over 1500 creative arts session with children
• Trained 250 teachers in creative ARTS and learning aid construction.
• Supplied ARTS materials and learning aid to 25 primary schools
• Supported 5 schools with 200 desk to improve quality education
• Published over 100,000 copies of “Dwon Otino” Magazine to promote child right
• Trained 120 child journalists/reporters to investigate and report on child rights issues
• Trained 40 young mothers in Barr and 46 juveniles with vocational training skills
• Advocated for a speedy trial of juveniles in remand in Lira Central prison and between 2006 and 2011, 65 juveniles was release with no charge, 17 convicted and 29 remanded
• Organised regular exhibition among schools

Challenges
• Demand for our service
• Fundraising strategy for our programs
• Transport
• Insufficient documentation equipment 
• Lack of knowledge in monitoring and evaluation
• Lack of qualified human resource

ACU would like to thank War Child Holland for their technical and financial support, The Global Fund for Children, Uganda Child Right NGO Network, Raising Voices, district authorities, Frank Velthezen for sponsoring our website and our community volunteers.

Join Art for Children Uganda on Facebook and follow us twitter and we would love to work with you in partnership.