Our History

COBURWAS International Youth Organisation to Transform Africa, CIYOTA is a Non-profit organization which started on 5^th December 2005 in Kyangwali refugee settlement; Hoima-Uganda. The founders of CIYOTA arrived in Kyangwali from Congo (DRC), Burundi, Uganda, Rwanda and Sudan (COBURWAS) along with thousands of refugees fleeing violence, suffering, and violations of human rights and other problems that come as a result of wars in their countries.

Even after getting ‘place of safety’, there were critical challenges facing the refugees in Kyangwali: poverty, violence, disease, lack of quality education and lack of responsible leaders who would cultivate new hope into the broken hearts of youth. The situation was worse to those children who had lost their parents during the war. Children of all ages headed families and others lived alone without anyone to encourage them. 

After many years of suffering, founders of CIYOTA realized that to truly create sustainable solutions to the problems in the refugees’ camp and back in their countries of origin, they needed education and leadership. CIYOTA united the youth in Kyangwali refugee settlement and nearby Ugandan communities, regardless of nationality, to face the shared hardships and work for positive change. CIYOTA’s inception set members on a path to transform the lives of youth, and give hope for the future. The enthusiasm from the youth of diverse culture to join CIYOTA and to work hard to achieve the vision with the founders is an important indication of passion among youth to become the leaders who will solve these problems.

CIYOTA’s primary focus is on addressing poor quality education and lack of leaders who believe in serving the community. With our time and energy the only resources at our disposal, we started by encouraging school drop-outs to return. We began holiday tutoring programs and group revision sessions to aid learners. We fund-raised by digging for farmers and bought shared textbooks and cultivated our own gardens to get food. Academic performance improved and many children were inspired to join school. 

CIYOTA as an organization alongside the community, we are very much committed to make use of our richly youth capacities in order to work for the betterment of our communities as we trying hard to unite, transform and develop Communities in Africa. We value and appreciate whoever cooperates with and supports us.