About Nabwire
A small Dutch foundation with one school, one plan and one promise.
Nabwire means born in the afternoon. It is the name the elders in Busia gave to An van Es-Johansson, who was born at three in the afternoon. By the time she and her fellow board members decided to give their work in Busia a proper form, the name was already there.
Where we come from
Meeting Catherine Omanyo was the beginning. Catherine is a politician and education activist in Busia County and the founder of Imprezza Academy — a secondary school that charges no fees and therefore receives no government funding. A first visit to the school thoroughly rearranged the plans of a few Dutch people and a Swedish doctor. The Nabwire Foundation was set up shortly after, registered in the Netherlands, with Dutch ANBI charitable status.
What we do
Nabwire supports children and young adults in their development, well-being, health and education. In practice that means we fund and oversee projects at Imprezza Academy in Busia, Kenya, and then hand them over to the local team.
The foundation is small: three board members, a project team in Kenya, and the donors who make it possible.
What we don’t do
We do not take over the school. Imprezza Academy belongs to Busia and stays that way. We build what is missing, pay against milestones, and after roughly three years hand ownership and management to the local team. A project has only succeeded when we are no longer needed.