Quick Facts

• Founded in 2005 by a group of Congolese refugees in Kyangwali Refugee Settlement in Western Uganda.
• Originally called COBURWAS, a name that stood for the nations represented in the settlement: Congo, Burundi, Uganda, Rwanda and Sudan.
• Currently called COBURWAS International Youth Organization to Transform Africa, or CIYOTA. 
• Members are known for their humility, work ethic, and absolute commitment to the development of their community.
• Empowering the next generation of visionary, entrepreneurial, and socially responsible leaders with the skills and experience to effect change in their communities, countries, and continent.
• CIYOTA’s outstanding efforts have addressed multiple levels of refugee life.
• Increases access to education in both traditional and innovative ways.
• Focuses on many of the issues at the root of the problems they face, including: tribal conflict, corruption, and the lack of responsible and enterprising leaders.
• Recognizes a need to unite people to achieve community development.
• Believes that education is the key to societal progress and long-term poverty eradication.
• Initial efforts included a tutoring program in the Settlement and a campaign to raise awareness about the importance of education.
• Leverage themselves with the limited resources available to effect remarkable change in their communities.
• The team intimately understands the challenges facing the community – they live these challenges every day. This understanding enables them to develop powerful, effective solutions, and their roots in the community ensure their projects are sustained.
• Exemplifies unity and compassion.
• Promotes girls’ education.
• Advocates for peace and reconciliation.
• Run CIYOTA Learning Center (CLC), a nursery school in Kyangwali Refugee Settlement.
• Orphans enroll for free at CLC, where they receive a school uniform, two decent meals each day, and an education.
• CIYOTA has worked closely with the Settlement governance to acquire land for the school, youth and farming.
• Hostels were opened in the town of Hoima to create access to quality education.
• Run an anti-violence group that helps women learn skills and become self-sufficient.
• Started livestock and farming projects for generating income to sustain other projects.
• Raised awareness about HIV/AIDS and malaria.
• Gives micro-finance loans and necessary skills to run their enterprises.
• Strives to expand their vision and network by inspiring and assisting other communities to start branches.
• There are currently five branches of CIYOTA, three in Uganda and two in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, each with its own community development projects.
• Many programs have independent impacts but derive their full strength from their interconnectedness and underlying ideology.
• Provide a specific type of education and experience doing community work that promotes the values of love, peace, and unity,
• The organization is an extended family; every community issue is given the weight of something affecting an immediate family member.
• Initiatives are designed to create long-term, profound, and sustainable change, not solely to address immediate problems.
• A sense of responsibility for community development is fostered.
• Strive to empower every individual they touch to be a problem-solving, visionary leader for change.
• Described as a symbol of hope for the whole community.
• Leaders work full time with no payment.
• Truly driven by CIYOTA’s vision: “to have a united, developed, and peaceful community with access to basic needs, sustainable life, and a good standard of living.”
• Entrepreneurial minds and responsible hearts work to bring the best to a community that has little to give back.
• A true power to solve Africa’s problems.