UWEZO Youth Empowerment

About us

UWEZO Youth Empowerment is a non Governmental Rwandan Youth with disabilities organization established in 2013 to develop the capacities of Rwandan youth with disabilities.

Our vision:
A society where children and youth with disabilities and other disadvantaged categories live independently and enjoy a dignified life.

Mission
To serve as Platform for children and youth with disabilities to share their experiences and to support them build their capacities and aspirations.

Core Objectives
• To advocate and raise awareness on equal rights and opportunities for children and youth with impairments
• Promote qualitative and inclusive education, vocations and rehabilitation of children and youth with impairments in need
• To build the capacities of children and youth with disabilities through skillls development
• To promote sports, recreation and cultural activities among children and youth with disabilities in order to encourage social integration.
• To facilitate internship/voluntary services among youth with and without disabilities in order to enable them gain employability skills
• To enable children and youth with disabilities have equal access to health services

What we do
• Advocacy programmes: Advocating for access to work and employment for youth with disabilities either formal, informal and non formal. We advocate for the provision of quality education for children and youth with disabilities.
• Reproductive Health programmes: The Imbere Heza meaning "Better future" Project is funded by Voluntary Service Overseas Rwanda and educates children between 10-14 enrolled in primary and ordinary schools with rightful sexual and reproductive education. The project seeks to develop comprehensive and inclusive SRH manuals that would be used by teachers, community health workers and parents to educate their children on SRH information. Pupils shall be facilitated to organize events at their schools through drama, debates, art and music to mobilize their peers on behavioral change for a better and healthier SRH.
• Inclusive Education: UWEZO is implementing an education project in the Northern Province of Rwanda, in Musanze District. Mentoring Kids: They conduct weekly visits to the families and provide practical and emotional support to the children, reporting back to the Project Officer on any issues affecting school performance; Practical support to children sensitizing parents to understand the potential of their children, giving parents the tools to engage with their children´s educational development, providing practical support to children e.g. through homework help, or access to scholastic materials, and working with school authorities so that they understand their obligation to educate children with disabilities; Families of children with disabilities meet on a quarterly basis to share their experiences, provide each other with mutual support and learn about their children´s development and how to support it.
• Adapted Technology: The UWEZO adapted technology center is a new programme that offers special computalized training to visually impaired persons in Rwanda.
• Intership for graduates: UWEZO collaborates with various institutes providing paid and non paid professional internship to youth graduates in order to secure opportunities for graduates with disabilities.
• Business Entrepreneurship: UWEZO Entrepreneurship programs demonstrate to students the value of an education, bridge the gap of what they are learning in the classroom and vocations with the real world, and equip them with the skills and tools they need to be more successful in their future lives.

Bahati Satir Omar is the Founder and Executive Director of UWEZO Youth Empowerment.

For other net participants we can offer an expert guidance through trained staff, give an expert opinion, procure expert information and establish new contacts in the field of our work.