Youth Center in Northern Uganda

"We have been hearing sounds of gunshots; but now we want to change the sounds of gunshots to the sound of music."
-Benny, Founder of Northern Uganda Hiphop Culture (NUHC)

Dear friends:

Meet Benny. Benny is a hip-hop artist, social entrepreneur, community activist, farmer and bee-keeper, and humble leader. Benny is also a dreamer and a do-er which is how and why he started Northern Uganda Hiphop Culture (NUHC) to empower young people in his community through hip-hop and the creative arts. Benny is changing the narrative of Northern Uganda from one of violence and dependence to one of peace, sustainability, and agency. (For the full story of Benny and NUHC, please read below.)

For the past 5 years (or longer), Benny has dreamed of building a community cultural and creative space in Kitgum, his hometown in Northern Uganda. This center will include a fully-equipped music studio, a computer lab, an art studio, and a dance space. More importantly, it will be a dedicated space for people-- young and old-- from the community to come together to collaborate, create, support, and share with one another. The center is not just for hip-hop, but is a spot where creativity serves as a platform to promote positive social change in the community.  

 (Benny in the beginning stages of the youth center. Photo credit: IPOW)

While we have made great progress in securing the land and building the outside structure of the youth center, we need help finishing the space so Benny and the amazing team of young people can do even greater work in improving lives in their community. 

We are looking for $25,000 by the end of September to finish the center as well as for initial implementation of community projects. NUHC has received support from other organizations, including a Minnesota-based Rotary club and the Pollination Project, as well as UK-based In Place of War (IPOW) which is sending music studio equipment of more than $50,000 for the center.

That is where you come in. We are kindly asking for your support in making this dream a reality. Every dollar is extremely valuable and will be put to the best use. 

Please feel free to share this story far and wide to help us meet our goal. Additionally, any funds that exceed our goal will go towards programmatic costs once the center is operational. 

With sincerest gratitude, appreciation, and love-- 
Team NUHC

If you have any questions, or would like to inquire further about NUHC's programs, please feel free to send an email to [email redacted] 
If you would like to keep up with the great work of NUHC, please check out our blog: nuhculture.wordpress.com or follow us on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/nuhculture/ 


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Benny's Story...
For twenty years, the people of Northern Uganda were stuck in the middle of a devastating conflict between the Ugandan government and a rebel army. During this time, thousands of civilians were killed and millions more forcibly displaced. For the Acholi, the people of Northern Uganda, leaving their land meant relinquishing their culture, their livelihoods, and their agency.

Like many of his peers, Mwaka Benson-- better known as Benny-- was not only forced to live in an internally displaced persons (IDP) camp, but was also forced to leave Kitgum, his hometown in the north, to attend secondary school in another part of the country. Though he was sent out of love and protection by his parents, leaving home in the midst of some of the worst atrocities, without money or the ability to communicate with his family, Benny faced immense challenges. Not only was he consumed with worry as he heard the news of home, but he was outcasted by his peers as someone from the North, a place where, they said, "they killed their own brothers."

Alone and afraid, Benny turned to music to find solace in the chaos of the life around him. Rap became a channel by which he was able to express himself, connect with other youth, and provide for his daily needs. Through hip-hop, Benny found an identity and a vision, and he wanted to share his passion and love for creativity with other youth in his community in Kitgum. That is why, in 2010, he began thinking of the idea for Northern Uganda Hiphop Culture (NUHC), a community-based organization that uses hip-hop and creativity as a platform for positive community transformation.

When the violence from the war ceased in Kitgum, so did much of the international support for community development. It was during that time that Benny came back to start NUHC because he knew the hardest part-- rebuilding his community after total destruction-- was just beginning.  In 2013, the organization began conducting outreaches by teaching youth in rap, breakdance, and visual arts (graffiti). 

Fast forward to today and NUHC is one of the, if not the, most active youth organizations in Kitgum (and Northern Uganda). What began as one young man teach rap to youth has turned into a movement of young people determined to make a better life for themselves and their community uniting under their passion for the creative arts. NUHC has established outreach programs in schools, in the local prison, and among other community groups to promote various topics such as: HIV/AIDS awareness, reduction of stigma towards people with disabilities, gender equity, economic sustainability, agriculture, and more. 

While NUHC has made great strides in providing opportunities for young people in the community, they need a space of their own to increase their access and access to them even more. Since starting NUHC, having a dedicated community cultural and creative space has been Benny's dream, a part of his long-term vision, and achieving it will allow NUHC to continue improving thousands of lives across the region, the country, and the world.