In the early days of 2016, a Mass Communication student at Uganda Christian University (UCU) identified a family that needed urgent help. He was staying at a Hostel located in Bugujju – Mukono where the widow identified as Jane and her family lived.
As unemployed student, he had nothing much to offer but small things like sugar, blanket, bedsheets and some of his clothing.
During his time of service as a volunteer in the Communications and Marketing Department at UCU, he worked with Patty Huston a passionate lady from USA working for Uganda Partners.
Patty introduced Lhwanzu to Rev. Emmanuel Mukeshimana the head of Square Ministries with a vision of reaching out to the world’s needy with the love of Christ in East Africa.
In a nutshell, Lhwanzu shared the widow’s story with Rev. Emmanuel. He was willing to help and immediately, the two visited the widow and found out more challenges she was going through as an old woman who is going through poverty to raise her children amidst conflicts within the family.
The starving widow was married to a husband who later died of HIV/AIDS in 2005. “I spent so much money when my husband was sick, his first wife did not put any effort, it was me responsible,” the widow narrated. “I am so lucky I did not get HIV, what would I have done with this kind of poverty?” she wondered.
The widow is staying with her four children with three grandsons.
The first born ended her studies after senior 4 with no hopes of getting more fees for further education. The family could not even afford to take her for a short course. She later conceived and currently she has 3 children.
The second born is a young brilliant girl who completed senior 6 and got stuck. She is now working in a restaurant as a waitress to get a coin for a day.
The last two are still in school, “I can’t explain how I get over 1.5 Million for both of them every term,” she said as she wiped off tears off her cheeks.
Before the husband’s death, he wrote a will that could benefit this widow of taking 60% of his property and the first wife taking only 40%. But she received nothing from this through family wrangles.
Square Ministries came in to give a hand. The non-profitable organisation is starting to implement her dream with a piggery project that will help her get some income to support her family.
“I am so thankful to God that I found hope in square ministries,” the widow confessed.
The widow stays in a very old house that leaks whenever it rains. “We wake up in the night whenever it rains because sometimes the water fills up the children’s room,”
“We can’t sleep whenever it rains at night due to tension,” one of the children narrated.
“She looked so much stressed after mentioning this and made me feel like I could be able to solve all the problems this family is going through within the blink of an eye.” The Reverend revealed.
What can you do to this kind of situation? The story will continue in the years to come as God uses his people to help a widow such as this. Square Ministries has helped her to build a pigsty and gave her an expecting sow hopping that very soon she will begin getting a support from the project.
In case you would like to have impact in somebody’s life like this contact us on squareministriesafrica@gmail.com
Square Ministries Africa 