My name is Ssekitto Kalule Emmanuel. I had the pleasure of growing up with a mother who had a big heart for the community and a deep spirit of service. We didn’t have much, but somehow, our home became a safe haven for mothers, children, and troubled families. Witnessing this at an early age made me realize that to help others, you don’t need to have a lot—just the willingness to help. That’s exactly what my mother had in abundance.
As a young boy, I loved playing football and dreamt of one day playing on the world’s biggest stages, perhaps even representing my country. Football gave me hope for a brighter future—but it also brought me my biggest heartbreak. In 2012, my mother sold one of her two pieces of land to fund my trip to Europe, where I was to participate in global football tournaments in Sweden and Norway. I trained hard and was determined to impress scouts and earn a spot on a European team. We won all the trophies—but I wasn’t scouted. I returned to Uganda with a deep sense of guilt, especially after having promised my family that things would change once I made it to Europe. I remember sitting on a Fly Emirates flight, devastated, on my way back home. A few months later, I sustained a terrible injury that left me unable to play football for quite some time. Frustrated and heartbroken, I decided to focus my energy elsewhere.
In August 2013, I enrolled at Makerere University on a government scholarship—becoming the first in my family to do so—to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in Industrial and Fine Art. That’s where I found new hope. Initially, my goal was to graduate as one of the greatest artists, but in my second year, something shifted. I began to wonder: What if I shared the knowledge I was gaining with children who never had the same opportunities?
Growing up watching my mother help others, it was only natural for me to begin organizing free art classes for children in my community during my final semester in 2016. I remember during one session, a little girl walked and looked up at me and asked, “Will you keep teaching us even after you graduate?”
That remains the most innocent and powerful question I’ve ever been asked.
I told her, “Yes, I will always come back.”
To keep that promise, I founded Faces Up a few months later, returning not just on my own but with other artists. Together, we began offering organized sessions that would grow into life-transforming opportunities for children and young people in low-income communities and schools across Uganda.
Faces Up works in Uganda, an African country with the second world’s youngest population — half of its 46 million people are under 15 years old. Sadly, 22.7% of children experience serious emotional distress (UNICEF 2021), and Uganda ranks among the top six countries in Africa with high rates of depression. Many children live in extreme poverty, face violence at home, or are refugees. These difficult experiences affect their emotional well-being and hold them back from reaching their full potential.
Since 2016, Faces Up has used arts education as a way to support the emotional and social growth of young people from the most challenged backgrounds. Our goal is to help them build strong emotional, social, and learning skills — so they can do well in school and life.
One story that reminds us why this work matters is Mark’s. In 2019, Mark, a quiet 9-year-old boy, joined one of our art programs. In his first drawings, he showed violence — a monster like man with guns shooting at people, himself slaughtering animals, and even one where he had hanged himself. We became deeply concerned and gave him space, time, and materials to express what was on his mind. After just two months, his drawings began to change — from guns to flowers, from fire to birds in flight. He also changed how he showed up: smiling, talking more, and becoming active both in our sessions and at school. Mark’s journey shows how art can help children process trauma, build courage, and find new hope.
Our goal is to support more children like Mark across Uganda — helping them heal from trauma, learn new skills, and find ways to earn and thrive. Through creative workshops, school programs, and community sessions, we help children build emotional strength, confidence, and a voice they can use proudly. We also work with teachers and artists to make sure the support continues even after our sessions end.
So far, we’ve worked with over 11,000 young people — many who’ve gone from despair to hope, becoming more confident, more engaged at school, and even starting to earn from their creative talents. With every art piece, each session, and every smile, we move closer to our big change: Extending life transforming opportunities to 750,000 children by 2035 —children like Mark—to use arts education to express and heal from trauma, gain access to quality education and hands-on creative skills, pursue flourishing careers in the creative economy, and ultimately, thrive in life.
We are passionate about bringing this dream to life—but we can’t do it alone. Your support can help turn it into reality. Would you consider donating today to invest in our impact?”
If yes, click below to donate and invest in our impact.
