Stories of Inspiration
At this time of great worry and uncertainty for us all, we sincerely hope that you and your loved ones are in good health. Kurt and I have called many of you to “check in” and see how you are doing. We will continue to reach out and would lov e for you to share (good or bad) how all of you are managing through this troubling time. Thank you for your past and ongoing support as our lifeblood especially for the children, the women and girls whose lives you touch. In terms of Guiding Light Orphans, Inc we can assure you that we are following both the USA and the Uganda Government and public health officials advice and we have put strict measures in place to protect our medical staff, patients, students and everybody they come into contact with through hand washing, utilization of masks and cleaning and disinfecting. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, some of our services are still suspended and this is tough for us knowing that the quality of lives for the children and their caregivers has been greatly affected.
This past year we partnered with the UConn School of Engineering and sponsored a senior design project. Working with this all-female team of Katarina Konon, Brianna Markunas, Abigale Monasterial, Renée Rogan and advisor Kristina Wagstrom was such an honor. We are so proud of them for winning first place for this project!
More than 1 million women in Uganda are exposed to sexual violence every year. They are not taught that they own their bodies or how to stand up against harassment. Of women reporting recent violence and threats, 28.8% cited their neglect of household chores as the reason violence was inflicted upon them. Women in Uganda are controlled by society’s antiquated expectations of them. On our most recent visit to Uganda, we had an introductory vocational training course that empowered 20 young women. Lilian, age 23, said, “I thought my life was over and that I had to depend on my husband for everything even if he was beating me almost every day. At first I thought it was okay to beat me because I thought I was doing something wrong. But now I can do a lot of things on my own without a man who does not respect me. Thank you for empowering us. God bless you and your friends from USA.” We hope to continue empowering young women like Lilian. To-date, in only a short period of their training, the women have reached over 1,000 people in surrounding schools, local farmers’ markets and churches through the advancement of community-led health education programs. With your help, we are working to build a vocational training center so that our girls can have their own space for education and production. Their outreach can then continue to spread and ignite change for the whole community.
The rate of teen pregnancy in Uganda is staggering. 1 in 4 teenage girls are pregnant or have a child. 23% of girls who drop out of school do so due to early pregnancy . Without an education, they find themselves dependent on others for survival. Lucy was at risk of becoming one of these women, but she refused to become dependent on anybody. Lucy had just completed her Advanced Certificate of Education (equivalent to the 12th grade) when she found out that she was pregnant. Life became difficult and she decided to start digging. Her bean harvest was stolen by her boyfriend, which meant she could not support her baby when he arrived. She had heard of our training, and with her fierce determination, she walked 4 miles each way every single day for two weeks with her 2-month old baby Alfa to attend class. “My boyfriend cannot take away the knowledge I have learned, nor will he be able to steal the menstrual kits I have learned how to make”. If all girls received education, the frequency of teen pregnancy would drop by 59% and child deaths would decrease by 49%. We continue to work to bring our girls education and supplies so that they too can be self-sufficient. With your support we can help more girls like Lucy regain their independence.