Hope Ignites Initiative
“Hope began with one belief that every child, no matter their circumstances, deserves the chance to learn and dream.”
“Hope began with one belief that every child, no matter their circumstances, deserves the chance to learn and dream.”
In 2013, I arrived as a refugee in Rwamwanja Settlement. Life was difficult, and access to education felt almost impossible. Each day, I would wake up early and go to the farm to cultivate maize, but even as I worked, one question stayed on my mind: “How will I ever go back to school?”
After working in the fields, I would walk for two and a half hours to the UNHCR office, hoping to find someone who could help me continue my education. For four months, I returned repeatedly, waiting patiently and refusing to give up.
Finally, my persistence paid off.
In 2016 through the support of UNHCR, in partnership with Windle International Uganda and Finn Church Aid (FCA), I was given the opportunity to return to school. That moment changed my life.
From that day, I made a promise to myself that one day, I would help others access the same opportunity.
Before I completed my studies in 2024, I began working with honest and committed people from my community to turn that promise into action.
However, while we had the vision and the passion to support others, we did not have the resources to begin.
It was through the support of organizations such as Cohere and Fontegiusta Siena, who believed in our dream from the very beginning, that Hope Ignites Initiative was able to take its first steps. Their trust and support turned our ideas into action and made it possible for us to start.
We began by supporting 50 orphans to access education, and helped one adolescent mother, who had given birth at the age of 14, return to school.
Within a few months, our work grew.
We expanded to manage three Early Childhood Development (ECD) centers, now supporting 640 children, along with 80 orphans in primary school and two young mothers in secondary school.
We also began supporting adults, including:
10 adults in English learning programs
20 women in Functional Adult Literacy
But education alone was not enough.
Having lived in a community affected by conflict both from our countries of origin and from the challenges of poverty we saw the need to promote peace and stability.
This led to the creation of our peacebuilding and livelihood program, where we teach families how to:
- Live in peace
- Work together
- Improve their economic well-being through agriculture and small-scale activities
Today, over 120 families are benefiting from this program.
This is the story of Hope Ignites Initiative born from struggle, strengthened by support, and driven by a promise to ensure every child has the chance to learn, grow, and build a better future.
