The Ruwenzori Foundation - formerly the Ruwenzori Sculpture Foundation - is a registered charity set up in 2004 by the directors of Pangolin Editions and Parabola Land Ltd. with the aim of enabling cultural and educational exchanges between artists in Africa and the UK. It helped establish the Rwenzori Founders (see our project map ) rural arts centre launched by Ugandan craftsmen. The Foundation changed its name to better serve these wider environmental activities too until such time as the crafts centre can be independent. The Founders have been re-foresting and re-wilding 80 acres of land owned by the foundation, this attracts tourists and art sales help fund the continued conservation and indigenous tree planting. The re-wilding programme has been a great success and seen huge increases in biodiversity. See the Rwenzori Founders recent news feeds on the map.

The Foundation funds residencies, workshops, materials, infrastructure and training. In its early days, as the Sculpture Foundation it received crucial support from the British Council, Tate, the Royal Academy of Arts and the Royal College of Art. Many individual artists and supporters have also generously donated and have been critical in allowing the Ruwenzori Foundation to pursue its aims. It also supports three Tepeth soapstone carvers from Mount Moroto, whose carving tradition is on the verge of extinction and represent Uganda's only indigenous sculpture. Their carvings are portraits of celebrated individuals, generic renditions of the warriors of neighbouring tribes, portraits of their name-bulls and sculptures of clan animals or other animals they see regularly while tending their herds. A series of workshops and the purchase of tools and equipment to help the carvers continue to make the work as well as providing a market for selling the sculptures are all part of the project.

The Ruwenzori Sculpture Foundation alongside the Ruwenzori Health and Education Foundation have now built a new community hospital on their land in the region. The local community benefits from health services, employment opportunities, sustainable nature solutions and even tourism.

Please visit our website for more information of our activities. https://www.ruwenzorifoundation.com/