Our Story
In 2022, the Mukisa Children’s Community Centre (MCCC) was conceived by Joyce and Sheila. It is a physical space in Kimwanyi, Uganda and began operating in early 2024. It is a community-based organization where you will find activities and information for members of the community to better understand the impact that healthy nutrition, physical, cognitive, cultural and creative stimulation have on healthy development, with a focus on children between the ages of 3 and 5 years. The vision is that the MCCC is a place that provides services with a focus on art, music, play, and sport to create a fun, safe environment for informing the communities about healthy childhood development.
We provide resources and services to inform and improve the behavior of caregivers in the community. The MCCC follows a holistic approach seeking input from all stakeholders, including local officials, non-government organizations implementing children’s programs and community members.
Subsequently, in late 2023 Joyce created the Mukisa Community Initiative International (MCII). MCII is a non-profit organization that empowers communities to build healthy minds in pre-school children. Every child deserves access to quality care, yet vulnerable communities often lack the knowledge, activities, physical spaces, and tools necessary to support early childhood development. Our initial focus is on supporting MCCC and children in Kimwanyi, Uganda. As we grow, however, we are committed to promoting healthy early childhood development in other communities as well.
The organization is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors responsible for fundraising efforts, securing support through public contributions and grants, and overseeing the awarding and distribution of grants. The Mukisa Board works closely with funded entities to ensure programs deliver meaningful impact for children and foster broader community benefits.
Joyce – Founder, Director
Joyce has lived in Uganda and Kenya since 2009 working to provide access to reliable clean energy and electrification for millions of people in rural and peri-urban communities that lack sufficient power to improve their quality of life. Her love for children and beginning to understand more intimately the challenges of those communities, in 2020, she began to investigate early childhood development and was amazed at the impact that poor nutrition and stimulation have on brain development, language, social and emotional growth. In Uganda, she witnessed the emotional, physical, and social trauma that neglect and violence have caused in children and adults, and she decided to develop a haven for children to thrive, as well as educate caregivers and communities about alternatives to develop “healthy minds”. Studies show, and she believes that poverty, lack of information, limited resources, and poorly funded social institutions are what is a key contributor to unsatisfactory early childhood growth.
Sheila – Founder, Director MCCC
Sheila Kizito is a Ugandan national and has worked in sales and marketing since 2008 in renewable energy and currently in the insurance sector. As an account manager in renewables, she became familiar with the challenges in the rural communities and trained dealers and executed solar projects to improve the community’s quality of life. Sheila currently runs an independent sales agency for Prudential Assurance Uganda leading an agency force of 50 agents. The success of her team hinges on her dedication to ensuring that Ugandans understand the value of planning and saving for events in life through an insurance vehicle and communicating her personal story.
Sheila is a proud parent of Kirabo, an eight-year-old. As a single mother, she recognized the gap in how Ugandan’s nurture and care for children. Despite the tremendous love they have, circumstances and lack of information do not always allow for parents to be present. Mukisa Community Initiative International has become the means in which Sheila can give back to our community.
Joyce and Sheila met while she was working in the renewable energy sector and became lifelong friends!