What is the UKCC?

The UKCC, or Uhuru Kijiji Childcare Collective (Freedom Village), is an institution that is organized by the African National Women’s Organization (ANWO) to address a basic and fundamental need of poor and working-class African women.

Many of these working class African women are single mothers with the sole responsibility of caring for their children, for whom the question of securing help with childcare is difficult and, in most cases, non-existent.

Although the UKCC has been a project of ANWO since we were founded in 2015, it lacked the leadership to do what we are now doing, which is planning to replace the colonial State in the lives of African families. 

As single mothers, heads of households living at or below the poverty level with the sole responsibility for childcare, African women find themselves immobilized, burdened, demoralized, and trapped in a vicious cycle. 

It has been understood in our community, African women are the glue holding the African community together. The UKCC is designed to unburden African women giving them space to participate in the liberation of African people as well as time for themselves.

As a parent organizer, they provide leadership and hold each UKCC together through their participation.

UKCC is indeed a “do-for-self” institution that is founded on the concepts of independence, sovereignty, nation-building and revolution. The UKCC is working to train and organize parents and other members in our community to create cells and satellites of the UKCC around the world as we struggle together to organize, educate, inform, and recruit parents into political life as revolutionaries.

UKCC is designed to engage, organize, and empower the entire African community to reassume responsibility for creating a new society for ourselves, our families, our community and to fulfill our historic mission to be a free and independent self-governing people.

How is the UKCC structured?

UKCC Cells operate under the direct leadership of the Satellite Committee in the cities where they are located. Although UKCC operates directly under the leadership of the Satellite, more often than not, Cells may be organized before Satellites.

There may be many Cells in one city before there is a Satellite. In this instance, the Cells will be tied to the UKCC National Steering Committee. A Cell is made up of three people functioning in any community as the UKCC. 

Local UKCCs operate as Satellites in cities where ANWO and APSP organizations/members are located. They act as local headquarters with the responsibilities to set up UKCC cells throughout communities in any given city.

The local UKCC is tied to the National Steering committee of UKCC through the local UKCC Coordinator being on the National UKCC Steering committee. Satellite committees train and oversee UKCC Cells in their areas. The idea is essentially to create these UKCC bodies all over the African world.

The key to the Satellite and Cells is that this is parent and community controlled. Parents receive and give their time. Whether we are operating out of a public location or taking turns assisting from our homes; it can look like either of these.

Why is the UKCC a necessity?

As much as the UKCC is about supporting African women and families it is about bringing revolutionary theory and solutions to African women who have been isolated by this issue.

Through this process we are recruiting new cadre forces and expanding our network, block by block, until we make the role of the State unnecessary in the lives of our people.

The key to the Satellite and Cells is that this is parent- and community-controlled. Parents receive and give their time.

We may be operating out of a public location or taking turns assisting from our homes. The models for the UKCC can be daily, weekly, situational, evenings, play-based and academic based.

Parent providers will receive 15 hours of childcare training including yet not limited to: CPR First Aid, Foundations of Health and Safety, Managing Challenging Behavior – School Aged Children, Training in Child Abuse & Neglect. 

Model Satellites will not only provide free childcare for families they will also have support accessing resources for families such as food resources: fresh produce, non-perishable food pantry, breakfast, snack and lunch programs, and nutritional education workshops.

Social emotional support will include family counseling, substance abuse support, domestic violence intervention, ArrestCPS—support for families/reunification from the State child protective services.

Build a UKCC!

*Become a member of ANWO and request an UKCC Kit (UKCC poster, questionnaire, registration forms, flyers, planner)

*Build a local UKCC Satellite

*Identify location

*Target individuals with needs in your community 

*Establish meetings to organize

*Recruit parents and individuals, fill vacant offices, create schedules

*Consolidate community resources

*Train staff/parent providers (First Aid & CPR, Mandated reporter, Foundation of Health & Safety, African Internationalism) 

*Register children

*Begin to shape the future of a nation and support families!

To join this campaign to free up African mothers and take our childcare and education out of the hands of the state: visit www.anwouhuru.org go to Projects and then click on the UKCC icon.

Let’s get free by taking back our power!

Build a UKCC in your area!

Uhuru!