About COWA Uganda
35 Years of Transforming Lives Through Education
Our Story
Our Journey: From Seeds 🌱 to Trees 🌿
Since 1988, COWA has been on a mission to transform lives through education, skills training, and community development.
Our story is one of growth, resilience, and hope from humble beginnings to becoming Uganda’s leading youth development organization.
The Beginning
The Companionship of Works Association (COWA) was born in 1988 during one of Uganda’s most challenging periods. What began as a compassionate response to the growing needs of vulnerable youth has evolved into Uganda’s premier youth development organization.
Our founders recognized that in the midst of social and economic upheaval, education and skills training could serve as powerful tools for rebuilding both individual lives and entire communities.
The organization was officially registered as an NGO on July 7, 1994 (Registration No: MIA/NB/1994/07/1328, but our roots trace back to 1988 when visionary individuals saw the potential in Uganda’s disadvantaged youth.
Our work is deeply influenced by the philosophy of Fr. Luigi Giussani, who taught that:
The humus does not replace the irreducible energy, the incommunicable ‘personality‘ of the seed. Rather, the humus is the condition needed for the seed to grow.
The Growth Years
In 1992, we established our second training center COWA Centenary Vocational Training School (CVTS) in Nsambya, specifically to address the needs of HIV/AIDS orphans.
Founded by a Catholic Priest from the Missionaries of Africa, CVTS began with a focused mission to empower young women and provide them with skills for dignified living.
Simultaneously, our work expanded beyond formal training centers. We began partnerships with government remand homes, recognizing that some of society’s most vulnerable youth needed specialized support and second chances.
Expansion and Innovation
The new millennium brought strategic expansion. COWA Vocational Training Centre (VTC) was established in Kireka, introducing our innovative Dual Training System combining classroom theory with real-world industry experience.
This approach revolutionized vocational education in Uganda, ensuring our graduates were not just trained but truly job-ready.
Our remand home partnerships grew to include three facilities: Naguru, Kabale, and Gulu, serving juveniles in conflict with the law across different regions of Uganda.
Our Foundation
Our vision, mission, and root beliefs shape everything we do forming youth into skilled, confident, and value-driven citizens.
Vision
To be an organization forming passionate, innovative and competent youth with self-awareness that enables them to be actively engaged in the Ugandan market and beyond.
Mission
To promote human value and practical skills through education and training initiatives for disadvantaged groups of people in society.
Our Root Beliefs🌱
Every Person Has Infinite Value and Potential
We reject the notion that circumstances of birth determine destiny. Every youth carries unlimited potential waiting for the right environment to flourish.
Education is of Heart, Mind and Body
True education develops character, critical thinking, and practical skills to form well-rounded individuals.
Education Happens in a Relationship
Our success comes from strong instructor-student, mentor-mentee, and peer-to-peer relationships.
We Learn While Doing
Hands-on experience forms the cornerstone of our approach — students apply and master concepts in real-world practice.