Support Mugwanya to Empower his Community with Art

GREETINGS EVERYONE, My name is Mugwanya Najib, I am 23 years old, born September 13th 1999. I was born in a small slum village in Kampala, Uganda in east Africa.

I lost my Mom when I was very little and in order to have an education my dad took me into an organization because he couldn't afford school fees. This organization is called MLISADA, and here I learned some band music which helped me to pay for my school fees and other basic needs.

I later joined the Acrobatics circus Troupe @actkatwe where I learned circus skills from fellow performers in 2017. Here we were able to do various street shows and ceremonies until the outbreak of Covid-19 in 2020. Since then, we have been unable to perform consistently which has led to starvation among us and caused us to disband.

We shared our videos (artwork) with various people and groups around the world who were so kind and encouraging towards our cause and the donations they sent us really changed our lives and saved us from joining criminal street gangs common in our slum where alcoholism, drug abuse, robbery and violent crimes are common.

We bought food and other basic needs for ourselves and the people around us. Our experience encouraged us to share our circus skills with our peers and local children in order to combat the rapidly growing crime rates. With friends we created our own organization called KATAKA ARTS GYMNASTICS ACADEMY to support kids and youths in our community by teaching them gymnastics skills and circus.

However, we still face severe challenges like a lack of gymnastics equipment, shelter, food, and medical supplies among other things. This has never stopped us from preserving our community, and you can check out all our social media platforms @kataka_arts on Instagram and Facebook.

I'm not abandoning my dreams, but time isn't on my side. With this campaign goal of $20,000 USD I will be able to get airfare, a VISA, hotels and it will also help me with basic needs while I search for a job during the time I spend traveling and performing in various countries. I'm planning to travel to European countries and United Arab Emirates in search of jobs like house keeper, waiter and others while I continue to perform. This will help me to change my life, my family and help the kids in my community by empowering KATAKA ARTS in order to archive our goals. Any amount helps and sharing this with your family and friends is also appreciated. Check out my work on Instagram @circus_uganda and my Facebook pages mugwanyanajib.

Thank you!