The Future You Make Possible
Tailoring and hairdressing classes are thriving at our Girls' Vocational Center because of supporters like you. Over the past several weeks, our advisor Hilda has been sitting down with each young woman to hear her story, her challenges, and her hopes for the future she is working to build.
This week, we want you to meet Naigaga Mary.
Her story is a powerful reminder of what your support is making possible every single day.
From Plan to Harvest in 76 Days!
I wish you could see Joyce's garden in person.
Three months ago, it was just a plan. Today, it is feeding her grandchildren.
In just 76 days, they harvested their first crops of amaranth, collard greens, and onions. Now the garden is full, with vegetables growing in raised beds and containers across her compound.
And here is what changed everything.
They Came on a Saturday!
Their faces say it all.
These girls just received hygiene kits filled with reusable pads, underwear, soap, a small wash tub, and a carry bag they can use with confidence.
They came on a Saturday!
Dignity and Freedom
I'm so happy to share that 60 girls at Butende Primary School in Primary 6 and 7 will receive their new hygiene kits!
This is the first group of the 200 girls who will receive kits as a result of our Ticket to Dignity campaign.
Back to School!
It's that time again in Uganda. Children are starting their new school year.
Thanks to our wonderful donors, we are able to support 11 orphaned children with school fees.
Each and every one of the kids you are helping was overjoyed to know they could go back to school!
Graduation Day!
This past Saturday was a day we had been waiting for.
We were finally able to gather and celebrate the 27 young women who completed their tailoring and hairdressing training at our Girls' Vocational Center in Buwudha village, Uganda.
The celebration happened later than planned because of the national elections, which brought much of the country to a standstill for several days. But in many ways, the wait made the day even sweeter.
A Classroom Without Borders
There was a lot of excitement in Busikwe village recently when some of the children there “traveled” all the way to Vermont without ever leaving home.
Fifth-grade students at Hinesburg Community School and Charlotte Central School joined children from Busikwe for a virtual visit that went beyond a simple video call. This time, the U.S. students were invited into daily life in the village.
They Passed With Flying Colors
This week was a big one at our Vocational Center.
The girls finishing our two-year tailoring program sat for their final exams, and you could feel the nerves in the room.
And honestly? We couldn't be prouder!.
These young women have worked incredibly hard. Many have faced serious challenges along the way, some even navigating an unplanned pregnancy, taking time away, and then choosing to come back and finish strong.
Cutting a New Path Forward
When you give a girl the chance to learn something new, amazing things happen, especially in rural Uganda.
Busiyi village faces challenges most of us can barely imagine. Extreme poverty isn't an abstract idea here. It means many families eat one meal every other day. It means surviving on about one dollar a day.
So when we opened enrollment for our hairdressing course, the excitement was real, and so were the nerves.