Inspire Learning, Promote Creativity and Transform Communities.
Vision
A literate, creative and culturally enriched community.
Mission
To empower children in underprivileged rural communities by promoting early childhood literacy; and to use creative arts like storytelling, poetry, and puppetry to inspire learning, cultural appreciation, and social change.
Background
Hatma Creative Initiative Ltd is a legally registered social enterprise in Uganda, committed to promoting early childhood literacy in rural underprivileged communities, particularly in the West Nile region. We harness the power of creative arts such as storytelling, poetry, and puppetry to inspire learning, preserve culture, and drive social transformation.
Despite Uganda’s national literacy rate reaching 74% in 2024 (NPHC 2024), significant regional disparities persist. The West Nile region lags behind with a literacy rate of only 59.1%, coupled with limited access to quality education, high school dropout rates, and a lack of literacy resources. The West Nile Primary School Headteachers Association (WENIPSHA) reported a decline in the number of pupils sitting for Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE) from 46,456 in 2022 to 41,341 in 2023 and 38,886 in 2024, highlighting the growing educational crisis.
The 2021 Uwezo National Learning Assessment further revealed that 11.6% of primary school learners in Uganda struggle to read at a P.2 level, with rural communities like West Nile being the most affected. Moreover, with 27% of Uganda’s adolescent population residing in the West Nile region, many young people lack foundational literacy skills, limiting their opportunities for a better future.
Hatma Creative Initiative Ltd was established to bridge this gap by providing literacy programs, mentorship, and targeted interventions that nurture critical thinking, creativity, and cultural appreciation. Our approach empowers communities by using creative arts to spark social discourse and preserve indigenous cultural heritage.
Our approach
Through strategic partnerships, community-driven initiatives, and creative interventions, Hatma Creative Initiative Ltd is working towards nurturing a generation of literate, confident, and socially conscious individuals who can contribute meaningfully to their communities.
By leveraging creative arts for social discourse and transformation, the initiative not only preserves indigenous cultural elements of society but also spurs creativity thus creating a sustainable impact on both education and society in Uganda’s most underserved regions.
All we do points to an overall aspiration of being a driving force in literacy development, artistic empowerment, and cultural preservation in the West Nile region of Uganda and beyond.
Our programs
Hatma Tales and Treasures
This is Hatma’s literacy and creative learning program dedicated to improving early childhood literacy in rural communities with focus on building foundational literacy skills, fostering a reading culture, and equipping educators with innovative teaching methodologies. Through tales, we believe children can go on an adventure of discovering great treasures around the world hence discovering the ultimate treasure of their purposes.
Hatma Arts for Social Change.
This initiative leverages creative arts of poetry, puppetry, storytelling and others to raise awareness and inspire action on critical social issues such as; education, child protection, gender equality, climate change and culture among others. It promotes indigenous storytelling traditions while fostering critical thinking, creativity and cultural appreciation.