Stories of learning, resilience and possibility.

Nyar Kwata Films Studio: every talent deserves a pathway

Talent is found in villages, neighbourhoods and families everywhere. What is often missing is access to coaching, practice, equipment, people who can open doors and safe opportunities to be seen. Nyar Kwata Films Studio is the foundation’s platform for discovering, nurturing and promoting emerging actors and actresses.

Acting can give young people tools to express themselves, communicate with confidence, work collaboratively and turn lived experience into stories that others can understand. With responsible mentorship and production partnerships, these capabilities can become a foundation for future creative work and employment.

Girls’ knitting initiative: learning through shared practice

The Pollination Project featured Ruth Abwalo’s girls’ knitting initiative in 2023. The story describes a small group of girls learning knitting and handmade crafts, and the practical challenge of finding materials to support their work. Early grant support helped the initiative purchase supplies and sewing equipment.

The Pollination Project’s 2023 feature recorded that 16 girls aged 7–14 were taking free classes for two hours, three times each week. The funded plan described two-month classes in groups of 30, with the potential to reach up to 180 girls in a year. The early support helped provide materials and equipment so the learners could continue practising their skills.

It is a reminder that a small beginning can matter: a welcoming place to learn, someone willing to teach, and materials that allow a young person to practise.

Made by hand, built through practice

A handmade item carries the time, decisions and effort of the person who created it. Knitting and crochet are learned stitch by stitch; confidence is often built in the same way. A learner tries, makes mistakes, asks for help and returns to the work until a new skill begins to take shape.

Our focus is not only on what is made, but also on the space to learn, the encouragement exchanged and the future possibilities that skills can create.

Skills grow when knowledge is shared

Creative skills are passed from one person to another through demonstration, patient explanation and repeated practice. Mentorship recognises that learning takes time and that learners benefit from encouragement, useful feedback and access to the right tools.

We hope to continue encouraging opportunities where girls and women can learn from one another and be recognised for their creativity.

Visibility is part of dignity

When women and girls are able to tell their own stories, communities gain a fuller picture of their lives, work and ambitions. Storytelling and dialogue can challenge stereotypes and invite people to listen with respect.

We aim to share stories with permission, care and accuracy—and to keep the voices of participants at the centre of their own experiences.