Provide Vocational Training for Ugandan Women

For much of Susan’s childhood, her days began before sunrise and ended long after the moon was high.

As a young girl, Susan was sent to live with her aunt and uncle so she could attend school. Her mother faithfully sent money for her education—but with children of her own, Susan’s aunt used that money elsewhere. By Primary Seven, Susan was no longer a student. She was a field hand.

Every day, she rose at 4am to work in the fields with her brother. They labored all day under the equatorial sun with only the small food they carried. When she returned home at sunset, she still had to prepare the evening meal—for the very cousins who were allowed to attend school. Then she would sleep… and repeat it all again the next day. And the next. And the next.

When Susan was 19 and a young mother herself, her own mother intervened and brought her to the Acholi Quarter. There, Susan worked in the stone quarry—often with her baby on her back. Hard as it was, it was still easier than the fields. Later, she found work in a coffee factory, but the stress and abuse from a volatile boss forced her to quit.

Then something changed.

When Project Have Hope began, Susan started rolling paper beads from home, with her daughter nearby. “It was simple work, easy work,” she told us. And for the first time, she earned twice what she made in the quarry. “It was a very great change for me.”

But we knew bead-making alone wasn’t the finish line.

As Project Have Hope expanded its focus to long-term stability and careers, Susan was among the first women enrolled in a tailoring course. And this is where her story truly began to transform.

“You can work from anywhere,” she says with pride. “You can expect money any day, any time. If I return to the village, I can bring my tailoring machine and still earn a living. I can work anywhere.”

That’s what vocational training does.
It doesn’t just provide income.
It provides freedom, dignity, and a future.

Without the support of donors like you, Susan would never have been able to access this training. Today, she doesn’t just have a skill—she has confidence, independence, and real choices.

Your generosity doesn’t just help women survive.
It helps them build lives.

Thank you for believing in women like Susan—and for making transformation like this possible.

With deep gratitude,
Karen Sparacio
Founder, Project Have Hope

Standing by the chalkboard, white chalk in hand, Mercy stays focused.  Peering at her are 28 little faces seated on the floor, looking up with wide eyes. Some attentive. Some distracted. Some quiet. Some skittish. Children. What more can you expect from a roomful of 3-year olds?  

At just 24 years old, Mercy has achieved more than many who have grown up in Uganda’s Acholi Quarter.  When she was in primary two, Project Have Hope took over her scholastic sponsorship, ensuring that she was able to receive an education.  It was in primary two when her own mother’s education was halted due to lack of money.  “It’s my privilege to see all of my children going to school,” Margaret says with maternal pride.  “My children are not following in the shoes I wore.  They’re like all other children.”

Mercy often reflects on what her life would have been like if Project Have Hope hadn’t made it possible for her to attend school and receive a certificate for early childhood development.  “If I had not had an education, I’d be married with kids now,” she says, dismayed by the thought of that path which she has seen many others take.  “That means I couldn’t pursue my own dreams.”  With an education, Mercy now has the power to build a secure future that will enable her to pursue a path of financial independence, and her current success is enabling her four younger siblings to continue their studies, ensuring they, too, can pursue their own dreams.

For just $25, you can support educational opportunities for the next generation of youth in Uganda.