UZIMA Community Centre (UCC)

Who We Are

UZIMA Community Centre (UCC) is a legally registered Local Non-Governmental Organization established under the Rwanda Governance Board (RGB) regulatory framework as the social-responsibility and community-development arm of SAFI Group Ltd, one of Rwanda’s leading trading and logistics management companies.

UCC was conceived to translate SAFI Group’s corporate values of inclusion, dignity, and shared prosperity into direct social impact among communities situated around Rwanda’s border trade corridors—particularly Rubavu, Karongi, and Kirehe Districts where SAFI Corporation operates major Customs-Bonded Warehouses and Cross-Border Markets.

The organization acts as a bridge between private-sector investment and community empowerment, focusing on vulnerable groups whose livelihoods are often disrupted or marginalized by rapid economic transformation—especially street children, youth without formal employment, single mothers, and low-income households living around border towns.

Genesis and Governance

The birth of UCC arose from SAFI Group’s day-to-day engagement with cross-border facilities. Management teams repeatedly encountered clusters of street children and jobless youth hanging around warehouses, ferry stages, and customs gates—often assisting traders informally, carrying goods for small coins, or sleeping near market fences.

Recognizing the moral and social obligation to respond, SAFI Group decided to institutionalize its corporate-social-responsibility (CSR) commitments through a permanent structure capable of mobilizing professional educators, social workers, and community volunteers. Thus, UCC was founded in 2018 and officially registered in 2019 as a Local NGO dedicated to “Restoring Dignity through Education and Skills.”

The Centre began with a modest pilot school enrolling thirty street children rescued from Gisenyi bus park and Rubavu market. Today, UCC runs an integrated education and training campus serving more than 350 beneficiaries annually, supported by partnerships with district authorities, local cooperatives, and SAFI Group subsidiaries.

Governance Structure

• Board of Directors: overall policy, compliance, and strategic guidance
• Executive Director: overall management and partnership coordination
• Programme Managers: Education & Child Development, Skills & Vocational Training, Youth Employment & Reintegration, Administration & Finance
• Community Advisory Committees: local elders, teachers, and youth representatives supporting participatory planning

Vision

“A dignified and self-reliant community where every child and youth, regardless of origin or circumstance, enjoys equal access to education, skills, and opportunities for a better life”.

Mission

UCC’s mission is to empower vulnerable children and youth through inclusive education, skills development, and employment opportunities that restore dignity, enhance livelihoods, and strengthen community cohesion along Rwanda’s trade and border corridors.

This mission translates into practical commitments:

• To Rescue
• To Rehabilitate
• To Re-skill
• To Reinstate
• To Reconnect

Mandate and Areas of Intervention

1. Child Protection and Education Inclusion
2. Vocational and Life-Skills Training
3. Youth Employment Facilitation
4. Community Health and Psychosocial Support
5. Advocacy and Partnership Building

Operational Geography

• Rubavu District: Headquarters campus with classrooms, workshops, and admin offices
• Karongi District: Outreach programme linked to Karongi Dry Port
• Kirehe District: Satellite training unit near Kiyanzi CBW

Institutional Relationship with SAFI Group

• Infrastructure support (classrooms, vehicles, uniforms, equipment)
• Employment linkages through bonded-warehouse jobs
• Annual CSR grants for education and feeding
• Volunteer mentors from SAFI staff

This synergy ensures that private-sector efficiency complements humanitarian empathy, making UCC a model for corporate-community partnership in Rwanda.

Target Groups

• Street children aged 6–14 years (both boys and girls)
• Youth aged 15–25 without formal education, living or working informally at borders
• Single mothers and adolescent girls seeking employable skills
• Persons with mild disabilities able to work in light vocational trades
• Families in extreme poverty needing support to keep children in school

By design, at least 50% of enrolment slots are reserved for girls and young women to promote gender equality.

Partnership and Network

• Rubavu, Karongi, and Kirehe District Local Governments (social affairs and education units)
• Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion (MIGEPROF) on child-protection frameworks
• MINEDUC and REB on curriculum and school reintegration
• Rwanda National Police / DASSO for child-protection referrals
• SAFI Corporation Ltd, CJAVIS Ltd, and UZIMA SAFI Ltd for employment and internship linkages
• Faith-based and community organizations for psychosocial counselling
• International partners (UNICEF, Plan International, TMEA) for technical or material support

Our Impact So Far

• Supported over 1,800 vulnerable children and youth through literacy, primary-level catch-up education, and vocational training
• Reintegrated 620 former street children into formal schools
• Trained 340 youths in tailoring, bakery, and catering, of whom 212 secured formal or semi-formal employment
• Provided over 700 temporary jobs (porters, cleaners, loaders) through SAFI-managed logistics hubs
• Conducted 45 life-skills and behavioural-change workshops, reaching 3,000 community members
• Reunited 96 children with their families through coordinated social-worker interventions