Many people know about the reputation of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), a rebel group that has committed numerous human rights violations and spread fear throughout Uganda and Eastern Africa. In 2003, the LRA attacked the Teso region of Uganda, which resulted in many of the men in the village being killed and left many infected with HIV.
Christine*, a resilient woman and great mother, is one of the women in the Teso region who experienced the traumatic situation. On one unexpected and devastating day, she lost her husband and two oldest sons, and was injured so badly by the rebels that she spent over two months in the hospital healing.
After recovering from her injuries, she tried to transition back into “normal” life in a displaced person’s camp. Even later, after the war, it was challenging for her to provide for her young children’s critical needs without her husband, who earned the primary source of income for their family.
Christine was determined to raise her children with the critical needs they needed to survive, but after all she had been through, she felt despair about what her children’s future would look like.
Hope was planted like tiny seeds when her children were enrolled in Ogoloi CarePoint. They began receiving educational, nutritional, and medical support; spiritual discipleship; and skills development with carpentry and tailoring for the older youth. This took some weight off of Christine, because her children were gaining new opportunities to become physically healthy and explore their potential.
Her children would come home and share Bible verses with her that they learned in the CarePoint. These verses watered the hope that was planted, as she saw her children begin to succeed in school and learn about the love of God. Through psychological and spiritual support, they began healing and finding meaning in the grief and loss that they had been through.
Her children began thriving and making decisions about what work they wanted to do in the future. One of her children has recently graduated with a certificate in carpentry, and he has promised to build her a permanent house!
“I’m now a mother to graduates. The devil tried to bury my family down, but God brought HopeChest to raise my family up, strengthen me, and make me a proud mother. I’m still expecting another graduation in my family. Thank you God for bringing HopeChest to this town,” Christine shared.
We know that her hope for her family will bear fruit and that her children will nourish their community with their skills, talents, and desires to help others who have had the same life experiences.
Children’s HopeChest exists to restore hope and dignity to those who have lived through grief and despair. We invite you to invest in tangible transformation in the lives of those who are caught in the cycle of poverty.
This Christmas season, please consider giving a meaningful gift that restores hope.
*Name changed to protect the identity of the individual.
