Cutting a New Path Forward

Girls starting the hairdressing course for 2026

When you give a girl the chance to learn something new, amazing things happen, especially in rural Uganda.

Busiyi village faces challenges most of us can barely imagine. Extreme poverty isn't an abstract idea here. It means many families eat one meal every other day. It means surviving on about one dollar a day.

So when we opened enrollment for our hairdressing course, the excitement was real, and so were the nerves.

Some of these teen girls and young mothers hadn't been in a classroom since primary school. For others, this was their first experience with any formal education at all. Like many girls in the village, they were forced to leave school when tuition became impossible to afford.

Some never got to start. Some became mothers far too young.

And still they showed up.

 As Hilda began meeting one-on-one with each girl, she noticed something quietly heartbreaking: three of them struggled to write their own names.

Martha, Jovia, and Rashida are three of the girls stepping into a better future

But here's what you made possible. These girls are gaining skills, confidence, and community.

They're learning hairdressing, yes, but they're also learning about their rights, supporting one another, and beginning to believe in a future that once felt out of reach.

You'll see it in their posture. In their smiles. In their growing confidence.

(And yes - you'll also spot Hilda wearing some very creative new hairstyles as the girls practice. I can always tell when she's been visiting the hairdressing class!)

Thank you for making this possible, not just for these girls, but for their children too.

I'll say it again: you are making a life-changing difference!

You provided the opportunity, and because of that, these girls are showing up ready to learn, participate, and be seen.

With Gratitude,

Mary

P.S.  This year, we're incorporating more life-skills education for the girls, including basic literacy.