Spotlight on Hilda!
This week, I wanted to introduce you to, and shine a spotlight on, Namuwanga Hilda who is our lead program coordinator in Uganda. She is always ready with a welcoming smile and has a wonderful sense of humor. You see her in most of our photos and videos.
A Safe Space
On any given day, you can stop by our Girls' Vocational Center in Buwudha village and you will see it packed to the walls!
While the girls in our tailoring program are learning, many of their young children are crawling around under the tables and in front of the center. It's been working, but it hasn't been the ideal situation.
Wisdom from Ruth
This week, we're bringing you another story from one of our girls in Uganda.
This is Ruth's story as told to Hilda:
At just nine years of age, Ruth's life changed dramatically. Her parents separated and her father took her away from her mother and moved to another village. Ruth's father loved her very much and tried to give her a good life. But when he was away from their home for work, Ruth's stepmother was very mean to her.
Growing Forward
2025 is halfway over! Whaaat!!!
Because of all of you, lives are better for so many! The need remains great, but with you as our partners, we are making progress!
As we look ahead, our focus remains on education and on sustainable programs that enable people to support themselves and live without aid.
Reset and Recharge
Thanks for the many comments on Tibenda Phiona's story last week.
I always enjoy hearing from you, and we'll be bringing you more of those in the near future.
You are making such a difference in their lives!
Someone asked me the other day if I worked around the clock! Not quite, and I'm trying to get better at asking for help and taking a break to recharge!
Resilience and Hope: Tibenda’s Story
I'm bringing you a story of resilience and hope. The hope is because of all of you!
This is Tibenda Phiona's story as told to our team member Hilda:
Tibenda Phiona is 19 years old and from Namisambiya village in rural Uganda. Since childhood, Phiona has had a very difficult life.
Knowing When to Pivot
One of the practices I'm most proud of at CLP is our ability to respond quickly to needs and pivot and make changes in our programs when we find a better way.
In daily communication with our team in Uganda, they let me know the progress of our programs and where we need to make changes. I let them know how fundraising is going and we review our budget.
This is how we work from the inside out. Our team lives the reality each day and knows the challenges that children and families face. They experience in real time how an increase in prices, or an illness, affects a family, wiping out their financial resources, leaving them without food or
A Healthy Start
A few weeks ago, I wrote about Betty, a 14-year-old new mother who needed baby supplies. Betty is an orphan with no family to help her, and she was a victim of violence.
I'm happy to let you know that thanks to our wonderful community of donors, Betty and her baby received diapers, clothes, blankets, food, and other needed items. She is also now enrolled in the hairdressing program at our Girls' Vocational Center. The change in her outlook has been wonderful to see, and you helped put that big smile on her face!
It’s a Slam Dunk!
The joy was off the charts when these kids got their first-ever pair of sneakers this week (and for some, their first-ever shoes)!
So much of life for kids in rural Uganda is hard for us to even imagine. I'm a bit choked up seeing the pics and just telling you about it!
Several months ago, we teamed up with Gorilla Hoops Basketball Academy to help get their sports program for vulnerable children started in Kamuli.
This week, thanks to several donors through our DonorSee platform, the kids received new (to them) sneakers, basketballs and other supplies for the program.