Our achievements

Currently we have 84 children under our care. We’re proud to say that we provide complete education sponsorship for 12 children ensuring they have access to quality learning.

Just recently one of our children graduated in carpentry and joinery from Rubengera Technical Campus in Rwanda.

Staff members

Children

Graduate

Our Aim

To provide quality education to the helpless children and orphans.

To provide the orphans and vulnerable children with education life skills for development.

Give them essence of self-reliance at any early age by carving, weaving, knitting, construction.

To provide shelter for those children, we are open every day from 4 pm till 6.30 pm.

To provide self-confidence and self-worth.

About

Bwindi Children Skills Centre was founded in 2015 by Benedict Habasa, Ronald Ngabirano and Justus Akampurira. We are located near the remarkable Bwindi National Park. Our mission is simple yet profound: to offer hope and support to orphaned and underprivileged children, especially those affected by factors such as poor family planning and the challenges posed by HIV/AIDS. Our vision is to restore hope through education, and our goals are vast, ranging from educational sponsorship to vocational skills training.

Meet the staff

Benedict Habasa

Executive Director (CEO)

I did most of my education in Kanungu, except the university. Due to the fact that my family background was not that good I went through a lot of challenges, but I kept pushing until I started working as a porter in Bwindi National Park, where I started interacting and making friends like my fellow workmates, UWA staff, tourist guides, and white people (muzungus) from different parts of the world.
As a sharp boy I picked an interest to become a tourist guide and whenever I am in Buhoma I take my clients to the child centre so the children can dance and sing for them and we tell them about the situation of the children. I started this child centre to give the children a chance to go to school and get a better life than their parents. I am a good example for them that’s it’s possible to grow out of poverty.

Justus Akampurira

General Manager

I faced many challenges, including a lack of education and medical care. Even though I had parents, they were too poor to provide the necessities I needed as a child. I struggled to get school fees and healthy necessities. It wasn’t even easy to get enough food I needed to grow. After my training in 2015 I decided to bring children together who were going through a situation like the one I was going through. I met Benedict and Ronald and we started the Bwindi Children Skills Centre, a community based organization and the aim was to help the orphans and vulnerable children to get school fees and teach them skills so that they can create jobs other than job seekers.

Ronald Ngabirano

Program Director

I did most of my education in our village, except for secondary education, which I didn’t finish because of the challenges of school fees. Due to the fact that my family was down and couldn’t pay my school fees, I kept concentrating and my goal was to start a community based organization which would help other young boys and girls to acquire talents and skills to access education. I started organizing community meetings to guide and advise my colleagues. During that process, I met Benedict and Justus who are working with me on the positive development of our organization Bwindi Children Skills Centre. We went to visit families and the children felt touched and we suggested that the children be brought to the centre where some had access to education through a sponsorship program. I therefore thank the well-wishers and donors for their support.

Promise Ankunda

Craft Attendant

I am a first born in our family of five. I lived a challenging life due to the divorce of my parents. I started working when I was 13 years and by then I was in my vacation of primary seven. I lived with my grandparents in the village with my siblings who could not also support us in school. I farmed for food and worked in people’s plantation to earn some money for my brothers to stay in school. I happened to get a job in Kihihi- Kanungu in 2019 to work in a restaurant where I met Ronald and Justus who came to eat lunch from there. They informed me of the opportunity to join the children skills centre and how they wanted me to volunteer with them. Living with children and volunteering at Bwindi Children Skills Centre has been a big impact towards my life. Restoring hope for young children has been our motive as a group and through education bright futures will be built under this children skills centre.

Arjan and Margreeth Bos

Ambassadors

In 2018 we went on a safari through Uganda with our three children and Benedict was our driver. He wanted to show us the children’s centre and one Sunday morning we went to Buhoma – Bwindi. The children were happy to see us and danced and sang to us. The thought of being there with our three children who have everything they want and to see these children who hardly have anything, touched our hearts. We became friends with the team and got involved with the children’s centre. We encourage and support the team and bring ideas to generate more money for these vulnerable children. We admire the commitment of the team that selflessly dedicates itself to the children.

About us