After her mother left the country, Ina was suddenly in charge of her seven younger siblings with no skills and limited ways to provide for them. At 19, Ina found herself pregnant, and ultimately gave birth to a premature daughter. With so many young children to care for, her family was struggling. They didn’t have enough money for food, rent, or any necessities.
That’s when Ina found Amani Sasa. When her daughter was about three months old, she joined our Mom’s Program. We provided emergency financial assistance for the family. Ina received access to parenting education, fellowship with other single mothers, counselling and group therapy, and nursery care for her child and her siblings. By stabilizing her family and empowering Ina, we were able to help her raise her family out of poverty.
Today, two years later, Ina is employed and thriving! She is able to support her daughter and siblings. In fact, she is a gifted nanny caring for the children and mothers in our Mom’s Program today. She is helping to provide the healing and transformation she experienced to other young, struggling mothers.
This month we celebrate the incredible ways that God is healing and transforming lives of women and girls within our community. Women play a critical role in their communities, especially in under-resourced communities. Our ministry, Amani Sasa seeks to provide women, children and men with a safe place to heal, find hope, and rise. And when she rises, she raises everyone with her—just like Ina does every single day here at Amani Sasa.
-Missy Ward, CBF field personnel serving in Kampala, Uganda