LIVING HOPE, GULU

Living Hope...

Some of the Living Hope Women

Today we had the privilege of visiting Living Hope in Gulu. I have been so looking forward to this visit. 

Initially we all have dignity, but some have been stripped of that through bad circumstances. 
Living hope is here to restore dignity back to the women of Uganda who are vulnerable to or have aids. Also women who have been affected by the war. Some of these women have been physically mutilated and have lived to tell thier story. They come here to learn to be self sufficient. 

Living Hope is giving these women a hand UP not a hand OUT...

They have the opportunity to:

• Learn adult literacy and maths
• Have trauma counseling
• Have medical treatment for free
• To have Child care for free so they can go and work 
• Discipleship classes
• Receive food distribution for their family
• Make peanut butter and sell it
• Sew bags, and dolls and place mats to sell

Another incentive that they are about to launch is sanitary pads made by hand from recycled paper and papyrus paper. This is huge for living hope and will give freedom to all women as it will allow them to go out and continue working during their menstrual week when usually women are confined to their homes during this time.   

All of these things have dramatically changed the lives of the these vulnerable women who can now feel like they are part of something bigger than themselves and contribute to the community with honor and respect. If women do not have these things at a young age, they have no choice but to leave school early and get married so they are not a burden on their family. Or get a job which they cannot do if they have no education. Many of these women have had facial reconstruction after parts of their faces have been cut off by the LRA.


Some of the experiences these women have been through are unthinkable and indescribable which is why they are vulnerable and feel hopeless. So living hope does just that... It restores hope alive in these women who have lost everything. Some of these women were raped by the LRA and fell pregnant. Some of these babies have been found in the bushes during the war, because they couldn't be taken care of or the mother was abducted.  These babies are now 18 months old and at Baby Watoto Gulu. 


If you would like to sponsor these women of find out more about their stories go to: www.watoto.com.org.