Every August, as the WE Restore Home graduates a class of women who have gone through the program, they host an outreach event seeking new teens and young women who want to change their lives.

The outreach event last August led to a record number of teens and young women wanting to join the program. In the 4 months following the outreach event, the WE Restore staff worked to improve the health of these teens and women, physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

The program consists of medical attention, therapy, discipleship, and most of all, love. At the end of December, 42 teens/young women completed the first phase of the program.

The WE International Ugandan staff have assembled profiles of most of the new teens/young women. These are, at the same time, heart-wrenching and inspiring. Today I’ll be sharing Sophie Namuganza’s story, based on the profile assembled by the WE Restore staff.

Sophie Namuganza

Sophie’s life story is a testament to resilience in the face of overwhelming challenges. Born as the third of five children, Sophie grew up in a family with both parents.

Tragedy struck at the age of 12 when her father passed away while in Somalia, leaving her and her siblings to cope with the emotional void. Soon after, her mother’s mental health deteriorated, leaving her children even more vulnerable.

With both parents unable to care for them, Sophie and her siblings were left to navigate life without their support. Sophie went to live with her grandmother, who lived near Jinja.

Sophie had a choice. Relying on her tenacity, Sophie has worked to stay in school. With no money to pay school fees, Sophie approached her teachers and asked to study for free.

With the support of her teachers, she was allowed to continue her education, and she successfully completed primary school, despite working as a housemaid to pay for household expenses.

After she finished primary school, Sophie moved to Namayingo, a district near the Kenyan border, where her mother lived, hoping to find work and stability.

Unfortunately, she found herself working as a housemaid once again, but after three months of unpaid labor, Sophie decided to leave.

Sophie made a different choice, deciding to hang out with a group of teens who introduced her to alcohol, marijuana, and other drugs. As she resorted to harder drugs to escape her depression, Sophie became addicted.

A Better Life

Despite her downward spiral, Sophie still held on to her dream of working toward a better life. It was then that Sauya, a recent graduate of the WE Restore Program, connected with Sophie and convinced Sophie to make yet another choice to come to the WE Restore Home.

After completing her 4-month program of healing and discipleship, Sophie, now 16 years old, has developed a passion for hairdressing. With Sauya’s guidance, Sophie has been a quick study and is one of the best in her class.

As you know, WE International is in the midst of a campaign to fund the completion of our campus. Any gift, small or large, will help WE International bring unconditional love, safety, and second chances to the most vulnerable women, children, and families in Eastern Uganda, like Sophie.

Thank you for everything you do!