Peace & Hope Women's Training Center

Oliva Sserabira has been running a women’s training center for 15 years in her home country of Uganda. Many of us might think those who dedicate their time to nonprofits are affluent and have plenty of resources. However, Olivia is not wealthy and works filling grocery orders at the Walmart on Hope Ave in Salt Lake City. She shares a small apartment with several other women and lives off a humble diet of eggs, milk, and bread. By living frugally, she can send the rest of her paycheck to fund her training center.

Why does Olivia live this way? She is passionate about what she does and states her mission is to improve the lives of African girls. Her training center enrolls women who have little resources or education and are struggling to support their families. She teaches them how to sew and braid hair so they can open a business in their communities. Over the last 15 years over 900 women have graduated from her two-year program.

The training center does not just help the women enrolled in the program but aims to expand its impact on girls in rural communities throughout Eastern Africa. The training center sews thousands of reusable pads that are donated to schools in rural communities. This work is crucial for young girls in rural communities who do not have access to feminine hygiene products. The issue arises when young girls hit puberty and begin their periods. This often forces them to drop out of school because they have no resources to control their menstruation. Through the training center's donations, thousands of girls have been able to continue their education during their adolescent years.

My name is Quinn and I’m a faculty member at a university. I traveled to Uganda in 2019 to study and visit many non-profit organizations. I visited Peace and Hope Women’s Training Center and was impressed with what they are accomplishing. I have stayed in touch with this organization and a few months ago I met with Olivia to see how I might help her non-profit organization. Like many others, I assumed she was a wealthy person living in Utah and was surprised to find out how she funded the training center.

Oliva continues to fund the training center on her dime. We would like to help her out and will forward 100% of all donations to the training center. Thank you for helping to improve the lives of African women and girls.