Girls whose lives would otherwise be wasting away are being revived with the hope and promise of a better future. The partnership between Amilia's Light and Destiny Women is rewriting the future for these girls through the 10,000 Lights Women’s Business Centre. The Business Centre is a salon, boutique, and crafts shop where the girls have each been assigned responsibilities in order to grow their business skills, their confidence, and to provide a safe work context.
Annet was born into a family of four. When Annet’s father died, she and her twin brother were moved from home to live with her grandmother. It is her grandmother’s home that she remembers fondly when asked about her childhood. "We used to live in a big house and my grandmother used to take care of very many people," she remembers. When asked about life before rehabilitation, Annet closes her eyes briefly and sighs; "I used to live in a home started by a certain organization that took care of talented children." She continues, "I was taken there when I was about 10 years old because I was a good dancer. I stayed there and they paid my school fees. As children, we would entertain people and get some money which would be used to buy food for the home. I started off going there to have fun; when they saw that I was good and doing what they liked, they took me into the home and started paying fees for me." When asked about how her family perceived the new arrangement, she replied, "The organization took me as an orphan. My mother did not know about it, but my grandmother knew and was okay with the idea because they were paying my school fees and as an orphan I needed the fees." Annet goes on to explain that most of the people that ran the organization did not really care for the children. "They were not educated and so they didn’t value our education; in fact most of them were former drug addicts and had not properly been rehabilitated. The home was basically for street children and orphans. As a child I was not aware that I could be in danger, but now I look back and know that it was not a safe place for us. We at some point shared a bedroom with boys that were in the same home."
When asked about her first exposure to sex trafficking, Annet explains, "Near my grandmother’s house there were garages and so many men worked in the area. There were also many prostitutes. My grandmother had talked to me a lot about the dangers of having sex with men to get money, so when I was in these situations I knew what the men wanted from me. She first told me when I started to sneak out of the house at night to go dancing with my friends." Annet sadly explains that most of the girls that were her childhood friends ended up with early, unplanned pregnancies. "I keep asking God why He chose me, why am I different? I think God knew me and had good plans for me. It’s God who protects us," Annet says
Annet later met Miriam Enyaga, the founder of Destiny Women who counseled her and invited her to join Destiny Women. Annet, desiring motherly support and good counsel, joined Destiny Women and appreciates the opportunity to be with and learn from other girls that have been exposed to situations like hers. "Destiny Women brings us back together as a family. It helps us stay connected and understand each other. Miriam is like a mother to us, she looks out for all the girls and brings us back together and makes us all keep moving."
On how being part of the 10,000 Lights Women’s Business Centre is helping her, Annet says, "The project has taught me to handle different people and understand business."
Annet, who started university this year, is studying for a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Business Administration and says she is grateful for the opportunity to go to university and work to help support herself. She admits that she could otherwise fall into the temptation of having sex with men to get money, as many students sometimes do. "I have to take care of myself because at home there is no one to take care of me since my mother also has health complications. But things are going so well, there’s a way in which working (at the10kWBC) has made me so responsible and confident, and the course I am studying is in line with the work that I do. Working here has given me an opportunity to understand business and deal with both negative and positive people."
Annet also says she has been able to contribute to meeting the needs at home. Being the first child in her family to make it to university, she says, "I feel so proud and blessed, in spite of the fact that I lost my dad at a tender age."
She breaks down and starts to cry as she remembers her father. With a heavy sigh and sadness in her eyes, she continues, "And the things that people said about me and my family. I think it’s high time I show them that no matter what they said about us, I have to stand up and be strong. At least I feel like I have to be there for my mum, be there for my siblings, and then I'll show those people that despite the fact that they didn’t see any value in us, in me, God has been so gracious to us."
When asked about her dreams and the future, Annet’s countenance shifts and with her warm smile, she says, "I want to have a happy family where I will provide for my kids. I don’t want the life that I have gone through for my children to pass through it. I want to be an inspirational speaker mostly to the girls that have gone through these situations. I want to witness a miracle in my family that someone can make it. I want to run a business selling children’s toys and clothes because when I see children dressed and happy it’s my joy because that is the life I missed."
Post submitted by Rachel Tumwine, Amilia's Light Liaison - UgandaHi! I'm Rachel Tumwine; I am privileged to work with both Destiny's Women and Amilia’s Light as a Liaison. My role is to help bridge the distance between you, our generous supporters and the world of our girls, who each yearn for and deserve a chance to make the most of their lives. I enjoy seeing the girls grow to be more responsible and how they now look forward to their futures through the lenses of the hope you give through your generous donations to Amilia’s Light.
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