Empower women in Uganda to become self-sufficient

Hi, I'm Josie, a nurse from Australia. I am fundraising on behalf of 'Love Alive Uganda' to help empower Ugandan women with education and skills to become financially independent.

In Jan/Feb 2024 my fiance Ben and I are volunteering in Uganda. During my time volunteering, I had the privilege of providing education about HIV to a women's empowerment group run by Love Alive Uganda. Many of the women in the group have humbling stories, and they need your help.

In Uganda, women have less opportunities for education and employment than men. Unfortunately, many women are left by their husbands or partners to fend for themselves. In others cases, a woman may need to flee her relationship due to domestic violence, which is a common occurrence. This means being faced with the difficult task of supporting herself and her children with few skills and no income in a country where jobs are extremely difficult to come by.

The "lucky" women in the group are able to sell green leafy vegetables for an income of 1000 Ugandan Shillings per day (the equivalent of 40cents AUD). Most of them however, have no income at all. Rent is at minimum 50000 Ugandan Shillings per month, meaning many of these women and children don't have safe lodging, cannot afford food and schooling/education is not an option.

Love Alive Uganda runs a women's empowerment program in Kampala, Uganda which aims to equip women with the knowledge and skills necessary to become strong, remain healthy, advocate for themselves and gain independence by starting their own small business. This will also enable them to break the cycle of poverty by providing their children with school-based education to empower the next generation.

Currently, there are 16 women in the group. Each week they receive education about topics like women's health, HIV, nutrition etc. At the moment, they are learning to sew, in hopes that once each is proficient, they can start their own tailoring small business and earn enough income to house and feed themselves and put their children through school. One of their first projects as a group will be to make reusable sanitary pads for personal use, and to sell for a small profit.

If we raise $3000, we can supply each woman with her own sewing machine (approx $180-190 each). If we raise $3500, we can assist them with purchasing the other necessary equipment (thread, needles, fabric) to get their businesses off the ground.

All funds will be donated directly to Love Alive Uganda. Any extra funds raised can be put towards other things the women need such as reusable sanitary pads, mosquito nets to protect them and their children against malaria, emergency funds for those who need to flee domestic violence, and potentially school fees.

I know times are tough for many, but please consider donating anything you can spare! Even $1 goes so far in Uganda.

Thank you!