“Back in the Democratic Republic of Congo, my dream was to become a nurse and serve my community,” says Deborah from her new home in one of Uganda’s overflowing refugee settlements.

“When armed militias started burning our villages, killing our animals and destroying our crops, we decided to flee to for safety, and my ambition to become a nurse also evaporated.”

After two days of hiking through challenging terrain and hiding from the violent militia, Deborah, along with her parents and seven siblings, arrived in Uganda.

Here, the family relied on UN supplied food rations and struggled to keep the children in school. To help, Deborah started to look for work around the settlement, often taking up jobs as a garden helper from Ugandan nationals.

Deborah’s family couldn’t afford to buy soap to keep them safe. Now, Deborah has learned how to make her own and is planning to start an income-generating soap-making business.

Violent militia forced Deborah from her home and destroyed her dream of becoming a nurse. As COVID-19 loomed over her refugee settlement, soap-making training has given her reason to hope again.

However, with the COVID-19 restrictions, Deborah was no longer able to travel and look for work.

“COVID-19 affected a lot of our livelihoods,” she says. “We couldn’t even buy a piece of soap to wash our hands regularly.”

Recognizing the rising danger of the situation, ADRA organized training sessions to teach Deborah and others how to make their own soap. These sessions sparked a transformational change for Deborah.

“I am so thankful for the training sessions with ADRA,” she says. “ADRA has inspired me to save some money and start a soap making business. The income I will make from selling soap will go to my younger siblings’ education.”

“I may have lost my dream, but I would love to see my brothers’ and sisters’ dreams come true!”

Deborah’s vision for her family is only possible because of your support. Thank you.