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Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Feed a Million Mouths International (FAMMI) hosted an art exhibition over the weekend at Oasis Mall in Kampala to raise awareness about a street art project aimed at mitigating the physical, mental, and emotional issues prevalent in the Katwe area of Makindye Division.
The exhibition displayed art pieces created by children and youth in Katwe as part of the organisation’s “kARTwe Project” – a community-centric initiative that was launched in May 2022 to harness the power of art to address some of the prevalent challenges facing the community such as access to meals, education and skills with the art classes.
Under the project, FAMMI provides meals for those who attend the classes and has so far distributed over 2,400 meals of the organisation’s NRG Xtra – a corn and soy-based porridge that serves as a nourishing meal for people living in high-risk communities that often survive on one meal per day.
While speaking during the exhibition, Kawooya Abdu, the Local Council Chairperson of Katwe II Central Zone, said, “This project has helped our society and most especially the children by teaching them how to do art – which art has helped them find an avenue through which they can earn a living and become more productive in society. In addition to this, the meals provided by FAMMI also help the children focus more in school.”
As part of the exhibition, members of the public bought pieces of art and/or sponsored meals for children at Katwe Central Primary School – where the kARTwe Project is run.
Every Saturday, FAMMI offers workshops on painting and drawing delivered by dedicated professional artists at Katwe Central Primary School targeting younger pupils of the school and children, youth and adults living in the slum and surrounding areas of Katwe.
Mark Montgomery, the director of FAMMI, says, “The goal of the kARTwe Project is to first and foremost provide a much-needed well-balanced meal to underprivileged children and youth while giving them the skills needed to harness the power of art to transform their community.”
He added that through street art, FAMMI is educating the community about the benefits of building and maintaining a clean environment as a crusade against poverty and the physical, mental and health effects of living in squalor.
As part of the exhibition, notable artists – Gam Massa and Dennis Sewanyana (Sewi Arts) – donated some of their art pieces to be a part of a raffle draw to raise money for the kARTwe Project.
The project also received 36 litres of paint from Plascon.
