Betty and Rebecca, Uganda Betty and Rebecca are the caregivers at Fresh Fire, one of the orphanages run by Message of Hope Ministries (MOHM).   Each women’s parents passed away when the women were young, leaving them in the care of relatives.  Money was scarce and neither was able to finish school.  Betty was married at 16 and had 2 children (both presently in University), but her husband passed away in 1991, leaving her to provide for her children alone.  Rebecca, a victim of rape, was left with 2 children.  When Rebecca’s sister and brother-in-law passed away she became the caretaker of their children. Betty had a job in which she had to travel far and leave her children, while Rebecca was working at an orphanage that wanted to transfer her to another location, leaving her 5 children behind.  About this time, they both began attending the church where Irene (MOHM’s director) was pastor.  In 2003, the church asked Betty and Rebecca to begin work at their new orphanage, Fresh Fire.  It was a difficult time as there were no beds, no blankets, and parents in the church began passing away, leaving behind children.  Eventually a friend of Irene's  built a dorm, and donated a cow.  Fresh Fire now cares for 30 children.  They are taught life skills and are nurtured by their "mothers", Betty and Rebecca. These optimistic women believe in rising above and giving back.  They are not paid, and have personal needs which go unmet every day.  Yet they continually strive to meet the needs of their Fresh Fire children. Nabirye Tausi, Uganda Even without speaking the native language, it is clear that Nabirye Tausi has passion.  She is one of the students in the tailoring program at Message of Hope Ministries (MOHM).  A 46 yr-old mother of 11, Tausi has been widowed since 2002, leaving her to care for her children alone.  When Fount first met her in 2007, two of her children were living in MOHM's orphanage because she was unable to care for them all...and her heart was broken over it.  Tausi has been a  faithful member of the tailoring class, inspiring and encouraging several women in similar circumstances to join her.  Since joining the class, Tausi and another woman, Aisha, have been working together to take their new-found skills to make and sell products in the market.  Slowly, it has been working.  Together, they pitched in and bought a machine to share.  When Fount returned in 2009, Tausi was proud to share that she had brought her children home from the orphanage the previous January. Without her new skills and the determination to use them, this may not have been possible.  Tausi continues to be a natural leader.  "I am very proud to be a part of this group.  I came here knowing nothing about sewing, but now I have customers that I make clothing for, and they pay me, and now I'm very happy.  When I was home, I was worried about my family, but now I am fine.  I look like a younger girl because I am very happy." Aisha, Uganda Aisha has a quiet and sweet spirit, and a surprising ambition. Although I (Tara, Vocaitonal Development Director) have met her in the past, this year was the first time I was able to sit down with her and learn more about her life. The basics are that she has a household of 11, which she supports on her own because her husband cannot work due to illness. She took an idea of Sarah's (MOHMS Vocational Tailoring Director) and has run with it, turning it into a little business for herself. Basically, she can go to the market and purchase a blouse for 500ugs, around 25 cents in our money. She takes it home, and cuts the sleeves off, takes it in to be more fitted, puts elastic in the waist, opens the neckline using the sleeves as a facing, and can resell it for 1000ugs, doubling her money. As long as the blouse is 30" long, it can be a dress, or she can use the sleeves or a bedsheet to lengthen it also. These are popular among young women or teenagers in the villages. It is a creative and cost-effective way to make a new product, one which most of Sarah's students never latched onto. But Aisha has. It is so satisfying to see that after 2 years of classes, virtually all of the women are using their skills to make money! Aisha is only one example.
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