Some moments are too joyful to stay on paper. 💛 A little drawing, a little play, a lot of laughter, and before long, the art had found its way outdoors. At Uganda School for the Deaf, the joy of creating together carried into movement, playful moments and dancing. What began with art became an opportunity for learners to express themselves, interact and simply enjoy being in the moment. At Faces Up Uganda, we believe children need spaces where they can do more than create. They need room to explore, connect, play and express themselves freely. Because children's wellbeing is also found in these seemingly small moments: the freedom to participate, the joy of being together and the feeling that you belong. Sometimes, connection doesn't need many words. It simply needs room to happen. 💛 What are some of the little things we can do to help every child feel included, connected and free to be themselves? #FacesUp #ArtsEducation #ArtForWellbeing

Happy 64th #IndependenceDay to the motherland, Uganda. #facesup

Stronger Together: Building Collaborative Systems for Sustainable Impact What happens when organisations working alongside children and young people come together, not just to share what they do, but to ask how we can build stronger systems together? Our team (@CleverNinsiima and @n_kamanyire ) is currently represented at the @Global4Children Partners Convening @ProteaEntebbe , under the theme: “Stronger Together: Building Collaborative Systems for Sustainable Impact.” For us at Faces Up Uganda, this theme speaks directly to how we believe change happens. No single organisation can address the complex realities facing children and young people alone. It takes community knowledge, locally-led solutions, shared learning, stronger partnerships and the willingness to build with, not simply for, the communities we serve. The convening is creating space to listen, exchange experiences, challenge our thinking and learn from partners working across different contexts. We are returning with new questions, new connections and renewed commitment to strengthening the systems around children and young people so that the impact we create can go beyond individual programmes and last. Because sustainable change isn’t built alone. We build it together. #FacesUp #GlobalFundForChildren #StrongerTogether #LocallyLed

Sometimes, the simplest things are worth practicing. 💛 At the Community Centre in Masanafu, a community in Kampala, everyday moments became little scenes: at home, at school and on the playground. There was learning, laughter and, of course, a little showing off. 😄 Especially from Junior. If you've ever been to the Community Centre, you probably know him. This time, he had his acting skills to show off. Sometimes, the best way to learn is to step into the moment and play it out. Press play and watch Junior take the stage. 🎨 #FacesUp

What if the art you bring into your home could also help a child stay in school? This is one of the many paintings created by children in our arts programme. Their creativity doesn’t stop at the canvas. When you choose to buy their artwork, 70% of the proceeds goes towards education for children who need it, while 30% is reinvested into more art workshops. So you’re not simply buying a painting. You’re choosing something beautiful, knowing that your purchase can help create space for another child to learn, create and keep dreaming. If you’re the kind of person who likes the things you buy to carry a little more meaning, we’d love for you to explore our collection. The artwork featured here is UGX 250,000. You can find it at @YujoRestaurant or send us a DM and we’ll help get it to you. Art that educates. Art that empowers. #FacesUpStore #ArtThatEducates #ArtThatEmpowers #ArtsEducation #UgandaArt #ConsciousBuying

#FacesUp #ArtsEducation

Can art really support mental health? It's a question we hear often. The answer isn't based on opinion alone. A landmark @WHO review of more than 3,000 studies found that the arts can play an important role in promoting mental wellbeing, supporting emotional expression, strengthening social connection, and complementing health care across the lifespan. At Faces Up Uganda, this evidence comes to life every day through children who discover safe spaces to create, express themselves, and rebuild confidence through art. We don't believe art replaces professional mental health care. We believe it can become a powerful pathway that supports healing, resilience, and hope. What role has creativity played in helping you navigate difficult moments in your own life? 💛 Save this post and share it with someone who believes in creating safer spaces for healing. #FacesUp #ArtsEducation

We're excited to bring our merchandise closer to you! You can now find our full collection at the Faces Up Store located at Yujo Izakaya , Nakasero, along Kyadondo Road. Open: Tuesday-Sunday | 10:00 AM - 7:30 PM Stop by, explore our products, and take home something meaningful. Every purchase helps fund access to education for children from underserved communities and more art classes. Let us know incase you would like to visit and we will be glad to welcome you. #FacesUp #FacesUpStore @SFacesup

Have you had a chance to explore our Q2 Newsletter? Catch up on everything we've been working on between April and June, from new partnerships and inspiring stories to the impact your support is helping make possible. lnkd.in/dqRu7b7C #facesup

When teamwork goes a little too far… 😂💛 Co-creation is one of our core values… but we might be taking it to #worldcup level. 😅 Every day, we support children and young people navigating complex psychosocial challenges. That work takes heart, empathy, and a team that knows how to lean on one another. So every now and then, we hit pause, laugh a little louder, compete a little harder, and remind ourselves that taking care of each other is part of the job too. Because the stronger we are together, the better we show up for every child, every educator, and every community we serve. Safe spaces don’t just happen for children, they begin with the people creating them. 💛 Now tell us… who do you think won this challenge? 😄👇 #FacesUp #CoCreation #BehindTheMission

We are grateful to have @bloodwater join us as the other socially conscious organization that has chosen to customize their #notebooks with us. We know that makes organization create meaningful gifts for its staff, donors, supporters, and peers. Notebooks like the ones we customized for Blood: Water are more than just notebooks; they are an investment in children's education and a celebration of their creativity. Swipe to read the note in the notebooks, and also see the last picture of the back of the notebooks. If you are curious to have yours done as well, send us a direct message or comment, and we will get in touch. #FacesUpStore #ConsciousGifts #AccessToEducation

For the Day of the African Child Every African child carries a universe the world has not yet seen. But too many are fighting battles no child should fight alone, trauma, silence, closed doors, futures written before they ever hold the pen. Art changes the equation. It is not a luxury. It is a lifeline. A canvas becomes a confessional. A rhythm becomes a release. A colour becomes a voice that speaking alone could never find. When a child picks up a brush, they are not just making art. They are making sense. They are reclaiming power. They are proving that their story, their pain, their joy, their imagination, deserves space. We do not “fix” children with art. We free them. We create the rooms where anger turns into anthem, where fear turns into form, where silence finally finds its frequency. Open the door. Hand them the brush. Play the beat. Watch what happens when a child who was told to shrink finally gets to take up space. The future of this continent is not in our policies alone. It is in the hands of every child we dare to listen to. Today, we honour the African child. Not just their struggle, their potential. Not just their voice, their vision. Give them art. Give them expression. Give them room. And watch them ignite. Happy Day of the African Child. 🌍 Art is not the escape. It is the engine. #DayOfTheAfricanChild #ArtForChange #FacesUp #ChildrenDeserveExpression #IgnitePotential

We are honoured to have our founder @kalulemma nominated for the International Business Achiever Award (IBAA 2026). Grateful to see the journey and work of our team at Faces Up Uganda being recognized on an international stage. This recognition is bigger than one person. It reflects the creativity, resilience, and potential of the young people and communities we serve every day through art, education, and healing-centered spaces. A big thank you to the organizers @mgibescollege , UK in Ghana for this recognition and for creating platforms that celebrate leaders and changemakers across the globe. If you will be in Accra this weekend, Emmanuel will be staying a few extra days after the event and would be glad to connect with fellow creatives, educators, social entrepreneurs, partners, and friends working to create meaningful impact across Africa. Feel free to drop a DM. 📍 British Council, Accra – Ghana 🗓️ Saturday, 30th May 2026 🕓 4:00 PM #IBAA2026 #FacesUp #CreativeYouthDevelopment #SocialImpact #ArtsEducation

Have you gotten your artistic notebook from us yet? Every notebook you purchase does more than hold ideas and notes, it helps invest in the education of children from financially challenged backgrounds. Carry creativity with purpose. Buy a notebook. Support a child’s future. Send us a DM or comment below and we will send you images of the notebooks available. #FacesUp #artwithapurpose

Art that heals. Art that empowers. Art that educates. This is what we Faces Up Uganda are all about. #FacesUp

There is something powerful about seeing a young person’s dream move from possibility to public recognition. Today, we are celebrating Mayambala ( @Eziecomicsug ), one of the young creatives we have journeyed with over the years, who has just been featured in a two-page story in @newvisionwire newspaper, one of Uganda’s major national newspapers. The article highlights his passion for comic books and how he is using storytelling and illustration to raise awareness about issues affecting fellow young people. What makes this moment special is that it is not a surprise to us. From the very first days we met Mayambala, his vision was already alive. His curiosity, creativity, and commitment to using art as a voice were impossible to ignore. We simply created space for that spark to grow brighter. Moments like this remind us why we do this work. When young people are given safe spaces, mentorship, tools, and belief, they do not just create art, they create influence, opportunity, and change. We are proud of you, Mayambala. Your story is only beginning. When you invest through a donation or by purchasing our merchandise, you become part of stories like Mayambala’s. Your support helps us continue creating platforms, opportunities, and safe spaces for many more young people to grow, express themselves, and be seen. See the link lnkd.in/dtg-VZe8 to invest and help us keep these platforms alive and impactful. #FacesUp #ArtForChange #youthmentorship

Some conversations don't need a formal agenda. They just need the right people in the right room. A few days back, we welcomed Isabela Queireza Gomes from Peace of Mind Foundation and Sara Juko from @Tutapona to our community art centre, (the Theatre of Dreams). We talked about what we've both seen in the field: What happens when young people in underserved communities are given structured, safe creative spaces. How arts-based approaches reduce the gap between need and access in psychosocial support. What integration between organisations can look like when the mission is genuinely shared. These aren't theoretical conversations for us. Over the past decade, we've watched children and young people walk into sessions carrying weight they couldn't name, and leave with something they could. Not because art is magic. Because expression, when it's safe and consistent, does something transformative. It meets young people where they are. We're grateful for organisations like Peace of Mind Foundation and Tutapona, who are asking the same hard questions and building toward answers. What excites us most is the possibility. When organisations working in psychosocial support, arts education, and community wellbeing find genuine alignment, the young people we serve stop falling through the gaps between us. They get held by a stronger net. If you're working at the intersection of arts, mental health, and community, we'd love to hear from you. Send us an email at [email protected] The more of us pulling in the same direction, the further this goes. #FacesUp #ArtsEducation #ArtbasedMHPSS

More photos: #FacesUp #ArtsEducation #ArtbasedMHPSS @mirembe_crystyn