Dignity &Partnership
We affirm the dignity of vulnerable communities when we see them not just as beneficiaries of charity but as valuable contributors and stakeholders in the solutions to their challenges.
About Us
Community First (COFI) is an indigenous non-governmental organization registered under the Ugandan National Bureau for NGOs Act 2016 (File No. MIA/NB/2019/05/2249). Founded in 2017 by Mr. Bruno Naho and Mrs. Judith Manano, COFI serves marginalized and vulnerable communities in Uganda, with a primary focus on the Somali urban refugee community living within the Kisenyi slums of Kampala.
Our approach centers on collaborative community engagement, ensuring community members actively define and implement solutions to their challenges. Through holistic interventions, advocacy, and operational support, we empower the community to become self-sufficient and resilient.
In response to global refugee integration and resettlement challenges, COFI delivers targeted programming across four key pillars:
Literacy & Development
Skilling & Livelihood Support
Community Services
Sports & Social Engagement
Together, these interventions foster holistic transformation, addressing social, economic, and psychosocial needs.
"We affirm the dignity of the members of vulnerable communities when we see them not just as beneficiaries of charity but as valuable contributors/stakeholders in the solutions to their challenges."
Community First Uganda
We engagevulnerable communities
To establish their felt needs and empower them through participatory research, critical discourse, and community-led development.
Community-Led Development
We engage the somali community to establish their felt needs and empower them to improve their livelihood through participatory research and critical discourse.
Partnership & Participation
Projects are initiated by beneficiaries themselves and developed in partnership throughout the entire process from planning to execution to evaluation.
Empowerment & Self-Reliance
We aim to empower the community and reduce dependence, helping them realize their potential to take control of their situations and impact others positively.
Holistic Transformation
Our engagements are designed to see the community holistically transformed into thriving, self-sufficient groups - socially, psychosocially, and economically.
Executive Leadership
Philip Onen
Executive Director
Leading Community First Uganda
Under Philip's leadership, Community First Uganda serves marginalized and vulnerable communities across Uganda, with a special focus on Somali Urban Refugees living in Kampala's slum areas.
Executive Director Photo
The Community We Serve
Our work focuses on holistic transformation - socially, psychosocially, and economically - across vulnerable communities in Uganda.
Somali Urban Refugees
Our current target community living in the slums of Kampala, focusing on establishing felt needs and empowerment.
Vulnerable Families
Supporting the most vulnerable families within the Somali community through holistic intervention programs.
Women & Youth
Empowering Somali women and youth through skills development, leadership training, and income-generating activities within their community.
Officially RegisteredIndigenous NGO
Community First Uganda is officially registered under the Ugandan National Bureau for NGOs, ensuring transparency, accountability, and legal compliance in all our operations.
Legal Status
Registered NGO under Uganda National Bureau for NGOs
Indigenous Organization
Locally-led, community-based organization serving Uganda