Precious and Seen: Hadijah's Story

Every individual is unique and precious, and their life has a major impact. We may never know some of the people we affect and the lives we change. But as we continue telling stories in our Spring Campaign, you get the opportunity to know the women whose lives you are a part of transforming and how much of a difference you are making. 

One father, four wives, and sixteen children--in such a large family, one little girl can be easily overlooked. But God knows each little one by name. Hadijah was one of those sixteen children. At age five, she moved in with her half sister, who took on the burden of providing for her school fees as long as she could, but she couldn't pay for her to finish primary school. Heartbroken but determined, Hadijah started babysitting to scrape together enough money to get by. She worked tirelessly, and at the age of sixteen she made the decision to leave and move in with her mother to look for new opportunities. 

There, Hadijah found love. She met her husband, and together they built a home full of love and the sounds of three wonderful children. She found great joy raising them. But in 1999, her husband and the love of her life passed away unexpectedly. Devastated by the loss and left as the sole provider for her children, Hadijah had to navigate her own grief while finding a way to give her children the life they deserved. She moved to Jinja in 2000 and started an eatery, but was not successful in the difficult market. Though beaten down by life, she picked herself back up, and she found a job as a childcare worker with Amani Baby Cottage. 

After many years of having a steady job with Amani Baby Cottage, Hadijah was laid off due to some internal restructuring. Her former boss introduced her to Heal Ministries, where she found renewal and hope after experiencing so much loss and grief. She enrolled in our business course and started attending Bible study, where she found life again. She formed strong relationships with other women and deepened her relationship with God. She learned that she was loved and seen and known by God; she wasn't too broken to be redeemed by her Creator. She has worked for us for many years, making many of the products we sell. She now works in the cleaning department, and she finds purpose in her work and in imparting her knowledge to the next generation, knowing that she is a part of making her community stronger. 

One person and one action can change the course of a woman's life for the better. Hadijah is flourishing, and she now gets to teach and empower the next generation. Her life is impacting countless others. We thank you again for helping women like Hadijah support their family and see their own lives and others transform.