Mama and Tata Bruno have been a great encouragement to us throughout the programme. In the few months since they arrived at the Family Centre we have seen significant change. They have started to live as a strong unit, they make decisions together, they support each other and have an even gender balance - which is very rarely seen in Ugandan slum families. They also both have a newfound passion for seeing growth, change and love in their family and are working hard to see these things become a reality.

Since arriving at the centre, both Mama and Tata have realised that they have a real love of farming! When in the slum, they were fighting daily for survival, with only a very basic mud house that was collapsing and very few possessions and little hope. Now they have the space and freedom to really think about the future clearly. Their dream is to run their own farm together, and make a business through selling crops and produce from livestock.

When they leave the centre they do not want to go back to the slum but instead want to build their own house on a plot of land near the centre and begin to set up their dream farm. They now live close to the programme site and they are impacting new families that come on the programme by sharing advice as a ‘model’ family for people to talk to, learn from and look up to.

The journey has not been easy for Mama Shivan (on the left), and there have been some serious challenges that we have walked through with her. Mama was widowed a few months ago, when she first arrived at the centre she was full of complaints, she was angry and was generally argumentative and rebellious. Her poor choices were starting to badly affecting her family and other families at the centre.

We came to the point where we met with her for a ‘make or break’ type meeting where we set clear boundaries for care and conduct. From that point we have started to see real change. She is caring for her children more now and is starting to be more open in mentoring and counselling sessions. She is also starting to process the death of her husband and as a result seems happier and more able to engage in the training and work hard on the plots of land.

Mama Shivan has now returned to her home village and is setting up her own business selling Matoke (steamed bananas). We will continue to support her during her time with us as she deals with the reality of being a widow and as she chooses to raise her children in a positive and encouraging way. We are currently carrying out her re-settlement plan, which includes follow up visits and also working closely with local support systems for her where she lives.

Maama Charles moved to our Family Centre in September 2015 from Katogo 2 Slum. She immediately saw change in her life, relishing the opportunity to learn new skills in farming and she was so grateful to be in a new place of peace. We have seen her really come alive since being at the centre; she used to be someone weighed down by stress and burdens but now she carries a lightness about her spirit and a new look of joy in her face.

However, we continue to learn during this first programme how complex life in a slum can be. About one month into the programme we discovered that Mama was pregnant, and she had kept this information from us during our assessment phase. It seems that she had found a new ‘husband’ who had promised to provide for her, but then got her pregnant and subsequently let her down. We were committed to Mama and so decided to allow her to stay. We did everything possible to make sure that her baby was delivered successfully, and that both Mama and baby were healthy.

The baby was delivered very early by caesarean section at just 28 weeks due to some complications, and miraculously survived! This meant that for the majority of her programme, Mama was in hospital caring for her baby (and God provided a great place for her to stay in Kampala, free of charge). Mama and baby are now back at the Family Centre and will be able to continue the programme.

Through the Family Centre and this very difficult situation, Mama has a new outlook on life. She now knows that she has the ability to make choices that will change her life. She believes she can accomplish things through her own skills and strength, without needing to compromise her value in the hope that a husband will provide for her. She is eager to learn new skills in business, farming and parenting so that she can be empowered to not only survive in the future with her children, but to thrive and flourish.