Kepler Alumni Continue to Bring Change to the Community

Kepler Alumni has managed to instill positive change and welfare to society continually after their graduation.

Aimee Umulisa is our Alumna from the cohort of 2017, and a Co-founder of Me For You, a non-profit which aims at filling the gap existing between refugees and refugee partner organizations. Aimee Umulisa graduated in Business Communications from Kepler Kiziba.

Me for You Organization (MFYO) was founded by Aimee and her colleagues, who all hold refugee statuses to help empower, educate, and support the most vulnerable people in the community.

Me For You Organization supports the community through several projects. ‘Hope & Live’ is one project that aims to empower the youth through encouragement, motivation, and inspiration activities. ‘Hero Mothers’ is another project purposing to rescue and secure the welfare of children from needy single mothers in the Kiziba refugee community. At the same time, ‘A Good Samaritan’ joins volunteers to collect specific funds for community intervention activities. 

The secret behind Me For You’s devotion and commitment is that they do everything with a passion, as if for themselves.

The organization took a big step during the COVID-19 period to help occupants of the Kiziba refugee camp affected by the pandemic by offering support to those who couldn’t sustain themselves.

In collaboration with different partners such as UNHCR, the Ministry of Emergency Management, and Asha’s Refuge, the organization strives to continue helping the refugees in the camp and beyond.

To learn more about the Me For You organization, we caught up with Aimee Umulisa, one of the co-founders, for a Q&A session.

• What Inspired you to start the Me For You organization?

As a refugee, I knew how life could be for refugees, so my colleagues and I were encouraged to start the organization to give back to the community. The Me For You organization was the passage for me to improve my community by contributing ideas regarding projects that can be implemented to aid the refugee section in general.

• What is your ongoing mission for life?

My ongoing mission for the organization is to preserve the principle of self-reliance to the refugee community to be independent. Furthermore, I intend to aid my community to be more resourceful by enabling them to access different opportunities.

• What is your aspiration for the next five years?

I want to work in the humanitarian sector for the next five years to help the most vulnerable persons. MFYO hopes to serve 1,000 refugees and help children attend their primary and secondary school through paying their school fees, and the organization hopes to be successful in its five ongoing projects.

• How did Kepler help you to become one of the co-founders of Me For You organization?

Thanks to the facilitation and the opportunities Kepler provided, I was able to express myself and think out of my comfort zone, which helped to gain the knowledge that I have. Kepler also provided me with the opportunity to attain a higher education, which gave me ideas on how to give back to my community.

• What advice can you give to Kepler students who want to make changes in their communities?

I would tell them not to wait for another person to make changes but rather take a step and start making those changes. I would also ask them to be self-reliant and explore different opportunities that are given to them.

Are you a Kepler alumni? We would love to hear about your journey after graduation! Reach us through communications@kepler.org.