Emmanuel kalule

Emmanuel kalule My role as an artist is to put children into the spotlight and also position them in scenarios where they feel celebrated and not invisible.

Without the ability to actualize an idea or a moment in time, art would not exist. Every work I make is a constant search for meaning in the space where children live and how they relate with each other. Every one of them seeks to broaden a conversation around how children are represented and also how they feel about themselves.

For 10 years, children have walked through our doors with dreams, curiosity, and creativity. 🎹But today, we face a simpl...
08/03/2026

For 10 years, children have walked through our doors with dreams, curiosity, and creativity. 🎹

But today, we face a simple challenge: space.

Since 2023, our community art centre Theatre of Dreams has outgrown its walls. More children want to join, learn, and create, but we can no longer fit everyone.

So we’re building a new community art centre, just a few meters from where it all began.

To start, we launched a 30-day fundraising challenge.
Goal: $5,000

✹ The beautiful part?
Every dollar you give is matched 1-for-1 by before the end of March.

$10 → $20
$100 → $200
$500 → $1,000

Donate to suport us turn $5,000 into $10,000 and contribute towards bringing this space to life.

This isn’t just about building walls.
It’s about building confidence, creativity, and opportunity for children.

To Donate, use the link in bio.

If you are in this space as a leader, CEO, founder, executive director, or fundraising officer, the name might be famil...
27/02/2026

If you are in this space as a leader, CEO, founder, executive director, or fundraising officer, the name might be familiar to you, you may have heard of him, followed him, and continue to learn from him.

Recently, while attending the CLI convening in Naivasha, our incredible, intentional, and great partner Issroff Family Foundation curated a series of engaging conversations and discussion topics. Most of these focused on current trends in the development sector, shifts, and how impactful leaders can gravitate toward and reposition themselves.

During a workshop led by the team from , facilitated by Kevin L. Brown and , several valuable insights were shared. Among them, these four stood out for me:

1: More fundraising can’t fix fundraising gaps - if it’s not working, don’t simply do more of it. Instead, sit down, rethink, iterate, and improve your approach first.

2: Your differentiator is what captures and retains attention - Since many organizations are doing incredible work in the same space, it’s important to emphasize how your approach to challenges differs or how your structure sets you apart.

3: A pitch without articulating a problem is a problem - while we don’t need to focus on negatives or challenges alone, sharing the reality is essential. People come from diverse backgrounds and can’t relate unless we inform and educate them about why our work matters.

4: Good organizations have strong programs; great organizations have impact models.

If you know me well, you know I genuinely love to appreciate people. So, while going to Naivasha I asked the children to select the notebooks I would take for Kevin L. Brown and Eve Wanjiru as gifts from Faces Up Uganda ‘s merchandise catalog, featuring prints of artworks created by children in our program, which are sold to fund their access to quality education.

I thank the IFF team, Lisa Issroff Gabriele Blecher Mwende Muya Mackenzie Finley Sandra Achieng, David Issroff, and the amazing Carolyne Ogake Momanyi and everyone who supported the convening in any shape or way, you all curated a great experience filled with learning.

15/02/2026

Delivery of 20 colouring books. They are custom-made with artworks done by children and they come with colouring pencils, a sharpener ready to dive in.

Each goes for 45,000 UGX,proceeds help fund their education of children.

Order one today for yourself or for someone you care about.

Last week, I had the pleasure of participating in the Story Festival organized by the (Children’s Rights and Violence P...
08/12/2025

Last week, I had the pleasure of participating in the Story Festival organized by the (Children’s Rights and Violence Prevention Fund), where entrepreneurs from across Uganda were brought together.

As the founder and CEO at , an organization I founded in my final year at - I had the opportunity to share my journey.

I spoke about how I started this organization without capital, grants, or financial support, but with a deep passion to serve children.

I was supported by like-minded young people like .kamanyire and , who has served with the same heart and dedication since 2016.

I shared how Faces Up began as a promise to a little girl, and how that moment grew into a mission centered on creating life-transforming opportunities for young people.

I also talked about how we have evolved over the years, from offering simple art classes, to developing a trauma-informed arts program, and later building a social enterprise that turns children’s artworks into sustainable merchandise used to support their education.

From my journey, a few lessons continue to stand out for me as an entrepreneur:

1. Don’t fall in love with your solution; fall in love with the problem you are solving.
2. Start where you are, with what you have. This is not a cliché, it is truly how the journey begins.
3. Stay curious, keep learning, keep evolving. The ideas that brought you this far may not be the ones that take you forward.

Whenever I share about the work we do, if I’m not wearing one of our art-inspired shirts, you will at least see a smile on my faceor both, because there is nothing I’m more grateful for than having found my purpose.

If you are curious to learn about my story: https://facesup.org/our-founding-story/

What are some of the lessons that stand out for you, along your journey as an entrepreneur?

Since August, we’ve been offering art-as-therapy sessions for the children at Naguru Remand Home, young boys and girls (...
07/12/2025

Since August, we’ve been offering art-as-therapy sessions for the children at Naguru Remand Home, young boys and girls (12-17) who are spending their childhood in detention.

This , we want to remind them that they are seen, valued, and not forgotten.

On 17 December, we will be hosting a Christmas party for them, and we would love to carry a word of encouragement to them, from you.

You can write a message that will be read aloud during the celebration.

Your message could be the reason a youngster believes in tomorrow again.

Submit your message using this link in my

See how the children in Naguru remand home are progressing. 🙌 It’s this kind of shine that keeps us energized and inspir...
04/12/2025

See how the children in Naguru remand home are progressing. 🙌

It’s this kind of shine that keeps us energized and inspired to do even more.

Just three months ago, we began our art sessions at Naguru Remand Home, a correctional center where children are held as they await trial.
Our goal has been to use art as therapy, helping them process trauma, release emotional distress, and work through the social, emotional, and learning challenges that come with their experiences and detention.

In the beginning, their artwork carried very little positivity.
No hopeful imagery.
No affirming words.
Just the weight of what they had seen and lived.

But today, those glimmers of hope are showing up everywhere, in their symbols, their colors, their stories. And every small shift feels like a breakthrough.

with .repost・・・Make thier One They’ll Never ForgetChristmas is a season of love, joy, and celebration. A time when...
02/12/2025

with .repost
・・・
Make thier One They’ll Never Forget

Christmas is a season of love, joy, and celebration. A time when hearts come together and memories are made.

But for many juveniles, this magic never reaches them. No decorations. No gifts. No festive meal. No moment to simply feel seen and cherished.

This year, we want to change that.
We want to show them that they matter.
We want to give them a Christmas filled with laughter, art, music, and the warmth of people who care.

And we can’t do it without you.

We’re inviting you to be part of this campaign to help us raise $2,500 and bring Christmas joy to over 200 children at Naguru Remand Home.

Your support will make this day count for them in ways they may remember for a lifetime.

Swipe to the last carousel to see exactly how your donation will bring light, love, and celebration into their lives.

Let’s make their Christmas one to remember, together.
Donate using the link in Bio.

The pride of Uganda was an honor to represent my country as I waved the flag during the opening ceremony - Munich 2025,...
08/11/2025

The pride of Uganda was an honor to represent my country as I waved the flag during the opening ceremony - Munich 2025, moving toward a brighter future for young people to learn, heal, earn, and thrive.

Social enterprise is no longer just a noun; it has become a verb, especially as the civil society sector navigates the r...
01/11/2025

Social enterprise is no longer just a noun; it has become a verb, especially as the civil society sector navigates the rapidly changing donor landscape.

Last Thursday, I had the pleasure of sharing how we at have embedded social enterprise initiatives via artprenuership and .facesup to raise resources that are reinvested back into our work.

The panel discussion was part of a two-day convening that took place at the , organized by the -EAPN), a network we are proud to be associated with, along with the and

The panel discussion, themed “Reality Check Panel - Lived Experiences from the Field,” aimed to respond to the following questions:

- What problem were you solving?
- What was your business model entry point?
- What surprised you most about running a social enterprise?
- What is one thing you wish you had known at the start?

Key Reflections from the Conversation:

1. It is both normal and appropriate for an NGO to generate its own income and reinvest it into its programs to sustain and scale impact.

2. While the social enterprise arm might eventually grow and contribute more financially than other funding sources, it’s important to stay rooted in the organization’s core mission and avoid mission drift.

3. The mindset and management approach required to run a social enterprise often differs from that of a traditional charity; recognizing and balancing these differences is key to long-term success.

4. Establishing a dedicated team, clear vision, guiding policies, and a specialized board or advisory body for the enterprise will help maintain focus. However, all efforts should ultimately feed into and reinforce the mission that inspired the work in the first place.

・・・NEW Interview in today with Congolese contemporary artist .bienfait.art Ba: “Living away from my homeland has deep...
29/10/2025


・・・
NEW Interview in today with Congolese contemporary artist .bienfait.art Ba: “Living away from my homeland has deeply shaped my art.

Exile taught me to paint from memory and emotion to turn loss, displacement, and resilience into visual stories. My work reflects the search for belonging and freedom, transforming personal pain into a universal language of hope.”

https://systemagazine.wordpress.com/2025/10/29/in-conversation-with-aksanti-bafunyempaka-bienfait/

While in Nairobi last week, I caught up with my brother , a friend that I know who pushes boundaries regarding being bli...
10/10/2025

While in Nairobi last week, I caught up with my brother , a friend that I know who pushes boundaries regarding being blind.

What he has done and is doing, you can't imagine.

Keep going, brother!

Last Saturday, I had the privilege of facilitating an art session with elite leaders during the Leading With Heart summi...
12/06/2025

Last Saturday, I had the privilege of facilitating an art session with elite leaders during the Leading With Heart summit at Ndegeya in Masaka, convened by Foundation under ‘s stewardship and the incredible team.

Whether I’m working with children or adults, my focus is never on creating sophisticated artwork. Instead, breaking down the creative process into something simple, relatable, and meaningful—an experience that invites everyone to ponder, question, and spark conversations that become rewarding for all involved.

It’s never about the final artwork created. It is always about the process we take to create it together. Art-making isn’t just rewarding—it’s eye-opening. These simple activities become fulfilling, heartwarming, and deeply meaningful when you experience them firsthand. Group art-making is about process over product, experience over experiment, feeling over skill.

Watching elite leaders smear paint in their palms, stamp their prints onto canvas, being excited and writing messages about what it truly means to lead with heart was incredibly rewarding. It reminded me what it means to live and fully embrace a moment in ways words cannot capture.

As people and leaders in our respective fields, what legacy do we want to leave? What mark do you want to make on the people you touch? What conversations do you want people to have in your absence? What kind of environment do you want to create for others?

If you’d love to bring this provocative, fulfilling art experience to your team building, networking event, or family gathering, let’s connect. I’d be happy to help you plan your next enriching experience.

Contact me:
WhatsApp: 0705859110
Email: [email protected]

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Address

Wandegeya
Wandegeya
4991

Opening Hours

Monday 09:00 - 17:00
Tuesday 09:00 - 17:00
Wednesday 09:00 - 17:00
Thursday 09:00 - 17:00
Friday 09:00 - 17:00
Saturday 09:00 - 17:00
Sunday 09:00 - 17:00

Telephone

+256705859110

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