About Transformed Villages Initiative Association
A community based organization dedicated to helping rural families in Uganda build sustainable, self reliant futures.
Our Story
Grassroots development, driven by the community itself
Transformed Villages Initiative Association (TVIA) is a non-profit organization registered by the district Local Government as a Community Based Organization. We focus on empowering communities by enhancing household incomes and wellbeing using the resources already available to them, in a sustainable way.
We are dedicated to helping people who live in impoverished, rural areas of Uganda. Our programs promote solidarity among community members and encourage grassroots development, working together with families to design and implement poverty alleviation strategies that fit their own reality.
Our Mission
To promote community rural development that tackles poverty, hunger, poor education access, agricultural challenges, health issues and malnutrition, while encouraging a paradigm shift towards sustainable self reliance.
Our Vision
A future where rural communities are transformed and equipped to sustain their own development, through health, education, agriculture, food and nutrition, and economic empowerment programs.
Our Approach
What guides our work in every village
Community led solutions
Programs are shaped with the people they serve, not designed for them from a distance.
Sustainable use of local resources
We start with what a household already has and help it go further, rather than creating dependency.
Paradigm shift
Lasting change starts with mindset. We invest in shifting attitudes towards self reliance alongside every program.
Dignity and inclusion
We work with vulnerable children, women, youth and families with equal respect, regardless of circumstance.
Leadership
Meet Our Founder
Gerald Nasasira
Gerald is a social worker by profession, a development practitioner, a social scientist, a youth activist and a global peace ambassador in Uganda. He is the Executive Director of Transformed Villages Initiative Association, based in Western Uganda, and is currently involved in rural development work across Western and North Eastern Uganda.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Social Sciences, majoring in Political Science and Social Administration, from Kyambogo University (2015 to 2018), and previously studied International Relations and Diplomatic Practice. He is widely regarded as an inspirational figure among youth in the Ankole sub-region of western Uganda.
While at university in 2018, Gerald was interviewed by BBC journalists from the United Kingdom about the initiatives he had built around campus that helped many young people pursue self reliance, positive moral behavior and freedom from drug and substance abuse. He also served as a national youth activist, presiding over the Uganda Young Democrats chapter at Kyambogo University under the Democratic Party, and founded several youth initiatives, including the Kyambogo University Rehabilitative Initiative under the university's Department of Health.
Gerald is deeply involved in peacebuilding in western Uganda, working to reduce domestic and gender based violence, and has mediated and reconciled families over a period of ten years. He is also a trainer in poverty eradication and a regular speaker and panelist at conferences on development across Uganda and East Africa, with more than eight years of experience in social work.
- "Inspiring the Young" award, Ministry of Local Government, 2022
- Young Creators Award in rural development, Kyambogo University, 2019
- Recognized by Ankole Reality TV as one of the best young leaders in western Uganda's Ankole sub-region, 2020 to 2021
- Ten years of experience mediating and reconciling families in rural communities
Leadership
Meet Our Team
Tuhairwe Angela
A Christian and a Fashion and Design diploma holder who helps rural women become self reliant through hairdressing, salon and tailoring training.
Read full bio
Gilbert Arinda
A fuller profile of Gilbert's role and work will be added here soon.
Read full bio
Where We Work
Reaching villages that are often left out
TVIA is based in Western Uganda and works directly with rural households across the Ankole sub-region, as well as pastoralist communities in North Eastern Uganda. Many of the villages we visit are hard to reach, with limited access to clean water, healthcare and schooling.
We also engage with local government structures, development partners and fellow practitioners at regional forums, building the partnerships needed to bring more resources to the communities we serve.
Want to work with us?
Whether you are a donor, a fellow organization, or a volunteer, we would love to hear from you.