Wubanchi is a pioneering project in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia which supports over 100 children and young people in and leaving the Ethiopian care system.

Children and young people are housed in homes across the city living with carers, social workers and peers. During their time at Wubanchi they can access education, healthcare and social activities to support mental health and wellbeing and enable them to take steps into their future.

Our Artistic Director Alex Evans and Programme Manager Lauren-Joy Cameron recently completed a short trip to visit the programme meeting the incredible team who have developed and delivered the project, in collaboration with the Bleu Blanc Rouge Foundation (BBRF) supported by Greenwood Place.

Here Lauren-Joy and Alex have reflected on the trip and how this kind of cultural exchange could have meaningful impact on Kazzum’s work with children and young people.

LJC: We were honoured to be invited to visit the Wubanchi project in Addis Ababa by our long-time funder BBRF. This initial 5-day scoping trip marked the beginning of our collaboration with the Wubanchi project, potentially working towards an awareness-raising event in October.

AE: Lauren-Joy and I were there to collaborate with the Wubanchi team to share knowledge and skills in supporting young people, plan for future collaborations and develop the relationships needed for a collaborative partnership.

LJC: Our first day in Addis began in true Ethiopian style with a coffee ceremony! We met the incredible team of social workers supporting young people across the 12 BBR residential homes. I was struck by the care and commitment of the team and their strong belief in the power of the arts to allow young people to express different parts of themselves and explore their identity and sense of self.

AE: Together we developed a series of participatory arts workshops, delivered within the homes of young people including drawing, cyanotype printing, sculpture, collage, games, dance and song. The aim was to bring young people together using creative arts as a tool for broader conversations around their passions for the future and reflections on the meaning of the Wubanchi project.

LJC: Across the course of our trip, we were able to visit 6 residential homes across the capital, bringing together 95 young people from across all 12 of the BBR homes. We shared games that are popular on our Pathways programme in London such as ‘Wah’ and a multilanguage version of ‘7-up’; young people particularly enjoyed seeing Alex and I trying out our Amharic.

Collaging and a collaborative group artwork led to discussion and reflection around themes such as friendship, family, hobbies, education and faith. Young people reflected deeply about their community, and I was touched to see the pride young people took in sharing their ideas and artwork with us, including their own portfolios of artworks and videos of musical performances.

LJC: On our final day, two young people from the project showed us around Addis. Without any workshops planned, it was a lovely opportunity to spend time together and see the city through their eyes. They discussed with us the regeneration across the city which seemed to carry mixed feelings, in terms of what it means for local people alongside the benefits for infrastructure.

Across the five days I noticed many of the adults and young people are very proud of their shared culture, heritage and history, specifically its independence and freedom from colonialism. This was deeply inspiring to me and connected me to ideas about my own identity and the intersections of it. It also left me questioning the meaning of how and where do we call home and why?

AE: Though there are many aspects of cultural difference between Ethiopia and the UK, there were also many shared values and ways of being across the team. I felt immersed within a really exciting organisation, very different to Kazzum yet with so much shared practice, knowledge and passion.

A key focus of Wabanchi’s mission is to address the interpersonal and systemic violences impacting girls and young women, providing a space whereby they can advocate from a place of safety and empowerment.

The project’s name Wubanchi, meaning ‘the light in you’, is taken in honour of a young woman within the Ethiopian care system, who was brutalised and murdered during the project’s early stages. The Wubanchi project has become a testament to the strength of community, and described by many as a place of love, care and attention. Kazzum will be supporting everyone at Wubanchi to develop creative tools for self-expression, celebration and advocacy, whilst also working alongside boys and young men to engage in conversations too.

LJC: The relationships between the whole Wubanchi community were deeply felt as was the incredible hospitality and this will certainly stay with me. (Along will the taste of Ethiopian coffee and of course injera!)

We hope to return in October and continue our collaboration with the extremely talented staff and young people.

AE: We would like to thank the team for their hospitality and care, and introduction to Addis! We would also like to thank Greenwood Place and BBRF for their dedication and support for the visit. It was a long time in the making, and it was such an enriching time.

Lastly, we would like to thank every young person we met during our stay! It was so much fun to be creative with you, to make art and to share our reflections together. We are looking forward to seeing you again soon!

Kazzum Arts x Wubanchi Project