Kawangware Vision Centre was started by Morris and Agasto in 2001 to create and open up positive life opportunities for orphans, vulnerable children and at risk youth in the community. The project then as Kawangware Street Children & Youth Project (a community based organization), started making handmade and designed paper bags out of recycled papers which they sold to tourist and safari companies and the income earned was used to improve their lives as well as maintain their business.
Today Kawangware Street Children and Youth Project is registered as a local NGO: Kawangware Vision Centre, to go in tandem with its expanding scope of activities and goals. Its main objective is to reclaim orphans’ and vulnerable children basic rights, and opening and creating economic empowerment for the at risk youths.
The main activity of the centre is a micro business in which the youth (both girls and boys) hand-make and design, silkscreened eco-friendly gift bags, greeting cards, gift-wraps and T-shirts silk-screen printing. These items are sold to businesses and safari companies and the proceeds realized are used and shared among the youth participants; used to uplift their life as well as those of the children, and to maintain the project.
The paper business also outsources supply of paper bags handles, hand-woven from banana leaves to a group of single mothers who in turn earns their daily livelihoods.
Other activities include:
- Educational support
- A vibrant Kids Club where children are assisted to discover their potential skills and talents and to develop them. This is through offering of basic reading, writing and simple arithmetic as well creative skills (sports and arts).
- Photography Club
- Theatric and Dancing Club
- Feeding and child welfare programme
- Mobilization and transformation
- Social awareness program
- Raising awareness of children and Youth issues
- Youth sporting and recreational activities
- Vocational training linkages and job placement
