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Our Dutch volunteer, Ruth Abena, completed her 3-month European Solidarity Corps Humanitarian Aid Volunteering activity in Uganda. In the activity, hosted by the Uganda Branch of our Irish partner Viatores Christi, Ruth participated in the activities of Foundation of Hope (FOHO), which works with street children, young mothers, sex workers and HIV-positive individuals. She listened to their stories, developed empathy, and offered them concrete ways forward.
She cooked meals for street children who had been hungry and homeless for days, bought them clothes, provided accommodation, helped them start school, and taught them English. Every week she gave them soap to wash their clothes. She ensured regular washing and self-care. She made the children gain self-confidence.
She worked with homeless young mothers, starting from the age of 13, who dropped out of school due to poverty and pregnancy. She had separate meetings with each of them and helped them think about their life plans with their babies. They agreed what was possible and were provided some money by FOHO to get started, with an agreement to hold fortnightly review and evaluation sessions. She carried out a comprehensive needs analysis, which allowed drawing the next action plan together with the mothers. She asked them to submit their ideas to evaluate business plans and evaluated them based on various parameters such as feasibility, profitability, management and budget. To ensure the business was receiving the support it needed to thrive, she conducted fortnightly inspections during the first month of operation.
Ruth also made school visits. In this activity, she focused on personal hygiene and discipline. She organized interactive sessions and used visual aids to engage students in discussions on the importance of maintaining cleanliness and adhering to discipline. She has seen positive transformations as students adopt better self-care practices and foster a culture of respect and order at school. To motivate students to dream big and set achievable goals, she shared inspiring stories to work hard and achieve their future goals, and introduced them to role models who exemplify success.
Throughout her work, Ruth has achieved many benefits such as personal growth, adaptability and continuous learning as she has been involved in the development of vulnerable communities and has been a catalyst for positive change. We would like to express our endless gratitude to Ruth, who has accomplished extraordinary things in a short time.
