Mwebaza Foundation organizes community mural to support Ugandan partner communities

Since 2008, the Mwebaza Foundation has been an integral part of our Niwot community. The nonprofit has expanded its partner schools to include Coyote Ridge, Coronado Hills, and Eagle Crest while also incorporating school clubs at Sunset Middle and Niwot High to allow students to continue their involvement with the foundation.

Recently, the foundation's four Ugandan partner schools have suffered severely under COVID-19 restrictions, including extended lockdown measures and school closures. Many partner school students rely on school lunches for a bulk of their daily nutrition and, with schools temporarily shut down, some are not getting enough to eat. In addition, many community parents and school faculty are unable to work under the restrictions and are struggling to provide for their families.

To offer additional support, the Mwebaza Foundation has created a variety of summer fundraisers, including a community mural, to generate money for meal kits, teacher salaries, and future scholarships to send children back to school when the country reopens. The community mural will be a patchwork series of 6x6 and 12x12 canvases, stitched together, and sent over to Uganda. People of all ages are encouraged to participate and can take all summer creating their own personal painting, drawing, or message of support.

This community fundraiser encourages collaboration for the greater good and reminds us how interconnected we all still are. The current political and social climate may generate feelings of unease and distress, however, there is room for a brighter future through current struggles. This community mural can help spread a message of support, hope, and love to members of our own community and to Niwot's friends across the ocean.

Interested people, aspiring artists, or those simply needing an activity to stave off summer's dog days have many options for purchasing and picking up their canvases! For those wanting to buy online, visit the Mwebaza Foundation website's summer fundraiser page and buy via the form. Pick up will be available at Colorado Landmark Realtors, 1002 Griffith St. in Louisville after July 1. Mwebaza will also have a table out front of the Niwot Market each Friday, starting June 26, from 10:30 - 2, and those wishing to participate can purchase canvases there or pick theirs up after making a purchase online. Check back on Mwebaza's website (www.mwebaza.org), Instagram (@mwebazafoundation), or Facebook (The Mwebaza Foundation) for more info.