Our Story
A narrative-based wellbeing initiative
iGrawe was born from a question that refused to stay quiet: what happens to a child whose inner life has no language, no mirror, no place to land? Across communities in East and Central Africa, we kept meeting children who were bright, curious, and resilient — yet profoundly disconnected from their own emotional worlds.
The answer was not more curriculum. It was story. Rooted in African oral tradition, grounded in trauma-aware practice, and guided by community wisdom, iGrawe creates spaces where children can name what they feel, share what they carry, and discover that their inner lives matter.
Today iGrawe operates through school-based Story Labs, community listening circles, and research partnerships — always African-led, always child-centred, always rooted in the belief that narrative is medicine.
“The children I work with don't lack intelligence or potential. They lack a language for their own inner lives and experiences — and a space safe enough to get deeper into themselves. iGrawe is that space.”
— Founder, iGrawe
What We Do
Four ways we show up
Every programme iGrawe delivers is shaped by listening first — to children, families, educators, and communities.
📖
Narrative Wellbeing Programmes
Facilitated Story Labs in schools and community centres where children use storytelling, drawing, and movement to process emotion, build self-awareness, and develop narrative identity.
🏫
School & Community Partnerships
Long-term collaborations with schools, NGOs, and local government to embed narrative wellbeing into everyday practice — not as an add-on, but as a foundation.
🔬
Research & Listening Labs
Ethical, community-centred research that amplifies child voice and generates evidence for narrative-based mental health approaches across African contexts.
🎙️
Media & Public Education
Podcasts, publications, and public conversations that shift how families, policymakers, and communities understand children's emotional and cultural needs.
Who We Serve
For every child, every community.
🧒
Children & Youth
Ages 6–18 across school and community settings. We meet children where they are — in classrooms, community halls, and wherever stories can be safely told.
🎓
Schools & Educators
Teachers, counsellors, and school leaders who want to build emotionally intelligent, culturally grounded learning environments.
👨👩👧
Parents, Researchers & Communities
Families seeking tools to support their children, and researchers committed to ethical, African-centred approaches to child wellbeing.
What Guides Us
Our values
🌱
Narrative Dignity
Every child's story is sacred. We never extract, exploit, or sensationalise — we hold stories with the care they deserve.
🌍
Cultural Rootedness
African oral tradition is not background — it is the method. Our practice is grounded in the storytelling wisdom of the communities we serve.
🛡️
Trauma-Aware Practice
We understand that story can heal and story can harm. Every facilitator is trained to hold space safely and responsibly.
🤝
Community Accountability
We report to communities first. Our work is shaped by ongoing listening, feedback, and co-design with those we serve.
✨
Joy as Resistance
In the face of difficulty, we choose delight. Play, laughter, and creativity are not soft extras — they are the work.
🔬
Ethical Research
We generate evidence without objectifying children. Our research is participatory, consent-based, and returned to communities.
Impact
In motion, already.
“After the story lab, one student who hadn't spoken in class for months wrote two pages. Her teacher cried. So did I.”
— Kigali secondary school teacher
200+
young people reached through Story Labs
3
school pilot programmes completed
100%
of our team and partners are Africa-based
The People
Meet the team
Priscilla Kabishanza
Co-Founder & Managing Director
Co-founder and Managing Director driving iGrawe's strategic vision and operational leadership.
Oliver Tusiime
Co-Founder, Writer & Lead Facilitator
Co-founder, writer, and Lead Facilitator shaping iGrawe's narrative practice and Story Lab delivery.
Uhiriwe Better
Writer & Researcher
Writer and Researcher bringing rigorous inquiry and storytelling craft to iGrawe's knowledge work.
Passionate about child wellbeing and African story?
We're always looking for facilitators, researchers, and partners who share our values.
Get in Touch