Namungoona Children's Art Center has a snazzy new logo designed by Center Director James Nsamba. The logo will soon adorn our classroom and gallery buildings in Namungoona.

20 paintings by Yusuf Ssali are now on display at Lamorinda Online Art Gallery. The Lamorinda Arts Council represents the neighboring cities of Lafayette, Moraga and Orinda Calfornia.
The exhibition runs from April 7 to May 3.

Lamorinda Online Gallery

This beautiful painting for sale: $200.

"Home Sweet Home" is a charming, warm view of a country homestead created by four teen age boys working together as they develop their artistic skills. The painting is 48" x 42", acrylic on canvas. Sale of this painting will help these boys pay their school fees, and help their family finances. The boys are Luzige Edris, Makubuya Faisal, Lubega Hassan and Ssekyanzi Hassan

Kisa Foundation Treasurer Peter Kibanyi is engaged in a long-term scientific project fighting malaria which is the single largest cause of death in Uganda.
Kibanyi is a micro-biologist working on a Ph. D. at George Washington University. The project involves extracting a natural mosquito repellent from the leaves of the Lantana Camara plant which grows wild in Uganda. The project will conduct randomized controlled clinical trials using skin lotion and aerosols containing the Lantana plant extract in three rural districts in Uganda. Kibanyi says the hope is not only to fight malaria, but also to develop Lantana as a cash crop and creation of jobs through manufacturing of plant-based mosquito repellents locally to improve rural family incomes. In the photo, Peter Kibanyi (left) with colleagues Robert Balikudembe and Fred Turyaguma

Over a dozen artworks by Yusuf Ssali are on display at Point Richmond Gallery in Richmond California through March 28. Nearly 100 people attended the exhibition opening February 23. Click the link below to see more of Ssali's recent work.

Yusuf Ssali Portfolio

James Nsamba, director of Namungoona Children’s Art Center makes a living as a commercial artist and sign painter. He is not paid for his work running the Art Center, though it is often a full time occupation. He often recruits some of his students as his helpers on commercial art jobs, which helps the young people pay their school fees.
“These are very talented teenagers,” Nsamba said. “They’ve been taking art lessons here for years. Now they’re in high school and some at university. But their families are poor. Their parents can’t afford school fees. By helping me in my commercial work, they are earning enough to stay in school. So they are always busy, either at their studies, or working on their own art projects, or helping me on commercial jobs.
“We paint houses, print t-shirts and posters, create signs for businesses, paint murals on school and business buildings.” Some of the kids are always at the center when they are not at school. Their families are poor and they’d rather hang out here than waste time at home where there is nothing to do."

“Mutima Simon, left, is one of our long term kids,” Nsamba said “He is a student at Metropolitan University. Nsubuga Arafat center, is finishing high school this year. He is very talented.”

Peter Kibanyi, Kisa Foundation Treasurer is in Uganda and visited the Children's Art Center in Namungoona recently. Here is his report:
I was excited to link up again with James Nsamba the Director of Children's Art Center after a long-time. We met on a very sunny & hot morning on February 5th, 2025 at the center in Namungoona near the Northern Bypass.
James was upbeat and bubbly about the progress and impact the center is making in the community. He shared with me some of the mentorship opportunities the center is providing to the underserved children from various backgrounds within the community. He said some of his students have gone on to create other art incubators in other communities within the Kampala area.
James said that though there has been expansion to the center from the previous grant by the Rotary Club of Richmond, California, there is still urgent need to continue expanding the center in order to accommodate the ever growing number of children at the center. I met several of those children during my visit. The Center is seeking a volunteer who could be a digital content creator to keep the world in the know of what's happening at the center. He said they also need a good camera and laptop to better depict and document all of the center's happenings.
The Center is in good hands under Jim’s Direction, and I assured him of continued full support from Kisa Foundation USA.
I thought this scripture from Isaiah 58:12, really exemplified what the center is doing for the children within the Namungoona community and beyond: "And you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to dwell in."

Photos from Kibanyi's Visit

Usama Kalokola points to a recent portrait he painted called “Mother and Child.” Usama has been a student at Namungoona Children’s Art Center since 2013. He expects to graduate from high school this year. “He’s a good painter," Director James Nsamba said, “And he has become one of our volunteer teachers, devoting his time and efforts to teaching art to younger kids.”

Kisa Foundation has created an Advisory Board of distinguished artists and art activists to help ensure the future of the organization by helping Ugandan artists to find sales and exhibition opportunities in the U.S. and to support and expand Namungoona Children’s Art Center. John Toki, ceramic sculptor, author and educator is Chair of the advisory group. Other members include Prof. Phil Kwesiga, Chair of the Makerere University School of Industrial and Fine Arts; Kent Tool, educator and ceramic artist; Pam Stefl Toki, artist and educator; and Ted Urban, architect and art activist from Orinda CA. The Advisory Board will develop plans and ideas for improving the curriculum and facilities at Namungoona Children’s Art Center including setting up a ceramics studio as part of the regular program. Toki said “We want to support KFUSA with expertise and financial help to build a ceramics studio in Namungoona to let Ugandan kids find the joys of working in clay.”
Kisa Foundation USA is the principal sponsor of Namungoona Children’s Art Center, and we’re the main sales outlet in the U.S. for the artists of Uganda Art Consortium. Five Uganda artists are members of the Consortium including Yusuf Ssali, Mathias Tusiime, Kaspa Kasambeko, James Nsamba and Carol Nakazito.

Advisory Board

Over a hundred kids are attending workshops at Namungoona Children's Art Center during the winter terms school recess according to Director James Nsamba. All classes are free for kids ages 6-16 including painting, drawing, sewing and papier mache sculpture. Check out this video of students working on their zebra and giraffe.

Zebra Sculpture

Yusuf Ssali, well known Ugandan artist who is a long-time member of the Uganda Art Consortium, is the new Executive Director of Kisa Foundation USA. The action was taken by the KFUSA Board in August 2024.

Tom Herriman, KFUSA founder and former Exec. Dir. will serve as Chair of the Board of Directors. Current Board members include Peter Kibanyi, Treasurer; Gretchen Donart, Secretary and Peter Meyer, member-at-large.

Yusuf Ssali Biography

Thanks to a generous grant from Richmond CA Rotary Club, the Children's Art Center is constructing a new addition that will double the space available for classes and workshops. Center Director James Nsamba is supervising the construction process.

Kisa Foundation helped to sponsor a student musical performance of "Kasolo Muje” at National Teachers' College Mubende, Uganda in March. "Kasolo Muje” is a squirrel and the music celebrates how cunning and active this animal is. The performers were teacher trainees working on their diplomas in education. The grant was used to bring some of the musicians from Kampala to Mubende to perform in the show. The audience included students from Mubende as well as faculty and students from other colleges. Prof. Moreen Kibuuka organized the performance and arranged the music which was a combination of Western popular music combined with Kiganda folk music.

See the Performance

The Art Center was featured on Deal TV Africa in a half-hour interview with Center Director James Nsamba. Nsamba said that the Art Center has enriched the lives of thousands of children since it was founded in 2007.


Several students were also interviewed on the show, and their artwork was featured. Photo Cap: James Nsamba shows off children's artwork to Deal TV audience.

Watch Deal TV Interview

By Emily Kembabazi

Mark Koire first started taking lessons at Namungoona Children’s Art Center at age 10 in 2012. Now he’s 21 and a second-year Bachelor of Industrial and Fine Art student at Makerere University. But he still comes back to the Art Center on a regular basis to teach art to a new generation of children.
“When I was in primary three,” he recalls, "Mr. James Nsamba and his team held an art program at our church. He invited all the children to come to the Center for free art lessons.
“James was kind to each of us and patiently explained what to do, which I appreciated. He inspired and motivated u. Instead of discouraging those who performed poorly, he showed us that the more practice we get, the better we'll get.
“My Mom encouraged me to attend the workshops because she saw James's commitment to using his talent to benefit the kids.”
Now, Mark makes substantial income from his graphic design business and his artwork. He designs and produces business cards, banners, stickers, printed t-shirts, paintings, cartoons, posters, and flower vases.
"I love art, and it is now my profession. I have started earning some money from my art pieces, which I use to top up what my mother gives me to pay for my tuition."
"If it weren't for James' artistic guidance and support, I never would have realized I could do art. I received a distinction two in fine art in high school as a result of that solid foundation. I am one of the top students in my class at the university. As a token of appreciation for James and the Namungoona Art Center, I made the decision to also begin teaching the young children at the center free of charge.”
Mark says his dream is to open an art studio in Bira town, where he now lives. "I know there will be a market for my artwork there,” he said. “In addition, many youngsters in the neighborhood are perpetually idle; therefore, I will provide free art lessons in the studio, Just like James and the other teachers did for me. And I’ll help kids develop their art skills and even earn some money by making art.”