Mukisa Foundation

Mukisa Foundation is a non-governmental.organisation (NGO) INDP11170507NB based on Kalema Road, in Lungujja, Kampala District. It was founded in 2006 as a small drop-in centre, which quickly grew to a CBO (LUB/409) and later an NGO in 2010 with the aim of empowering families who have children with disabilities so that the children can lead purposeful lives to their full potential.
It started as a small drop-in center with 8 children which quickly grew to 20 and to over 100 by the end of the first year. Mukisa has continued to grow to serve thousands of children with disabilities in multiple locations including Bussi Island, and outreaches in Luwero, Wakiso, Moyo and Karamoja.
We hope to add at least one new outreach location per year to ensure that every child life with a disability.in Uganda gets at least one intervention that can enable them to lead a better quality of life.
Although based in Kampala, Mukisa works across seven districts through partnerships and outreaches and supports a number of centers in different parts of the country. The purpose of these outreaches is to ensure that our services get closer to the places where as many children and families can access them. In 2021, Mukisa Foundation in partnership with the Special Children’s Trust added a medical centre under its extensive portfolio. This centre is located in Wakiso district and offers comprehensive and holistic health solutions to the communities with a special emphasis on child and maternal health.
The Mukisa Foundation team comprises of 44 staff members, which include doctors, clinical officers and other medical staff, therapists, social workers, teachers, administration and management staff, housekeeping and security personnel. Mukisa endeavors to offer
employment to the parents of the children with disabilities, as well as young people with
disabilities. Presently, all the staff in the housekeeping, weekend security, procurement and the suppliers of the different commodities are our parents, and young adults on the
apprenticeship programs.
All Mukisa Foundation programs are either free or highly subsidized by the generous support of individuals and organizations who offer grants, and gifts both in kind and cash towards the annual budget.

Mukisa works with over 5000 children and families using a comprehensive and holistic child-centered approach, which is in line with the World Health Organization (WHO) CBR model. The 360 model comprises of 5 different components/programs, as highlighted below:

1. Health: We offer Medical and Nutrition, Financial support and referrals for surgeries, Therapies that include Physiotherapy, Speech and language therapy, Occupational therapy, Assistive devices and Technology. We have drop- in centers in three locations at which parents can bring their children for these services and three-monthly outreach locations.
2. Education: We provide accelerated learning (catch-up classes) for children with disabilities below the age of 12 years. This for usually children that need extra help to learn academic, self-care skills or therapy to thrive. These attend a three-year program after which they are placed into mainstream schools. We also provide vocational skills training for adolescent children with disabilities above 14 years of age. These learn both life skills that include self-care skills, social interaction, appropriate behavior, and a vocational skill of their choice such as Tailoring, housekeeping and Catering, Hair dressing, Art and design. In the last six months of their training, a member of the family is also trained to ensure that the student continues to get support after the training and a starter pack to ensure continuity or starting their own business. 3, Family Empowerment: We walk alongside the family through social and Economic empowerment activities to enable them to create a safe and supportive environment for their child with disabilities. We work with siblings, Mothers, Fathers, and guardians to help them understand the condition of their child and general knowledge on disabilities, support them to join support groups for psychosocial support, teach entrepreneurial and business management skills, business coaching and support to start or improve their existing business.
3. Capacity Building : Teachers, Therapists, Community workers, Parents, Institutions, and Like-minded individuals receive training on best evidence-based practices that have been tried by Mukisa, its partners, and/or research of best practices from other parts of the world. The goal is to ensure that children and their families get all the necessary support and that service providers give the best quality of care possible.
4. Advocacy and Awareness: Mukisa Foundation is at the forefront of advocacy and Awareness campaigns, to demystify disability, promote government involvement and promote social inclusion of persons with disabilities. We work with policymakers, law enforcement officers, government, local councils, community leaders, and family members on issues concerning persons with disabilities and inclusion. we also participate in an annual awareness day that is aimed at bringing together children with disabilities, and actors in the disability space to create a unified Voice, improve visibility, and highlight issues concerning persons with disability. Through different mediums and platforms like TV shows, Radio programs, Awareness events, and Facebook, the Mukisa foundation speaks about different kinds of disabilities, how children and their families are affected but also how these children and other persons with disabilities should be treated in society.