In April 2016 we visited Watoto in Uganda, Africa. We (Angela Wong and myself being representative of FIDA) together with a few lawyers and my daughter went to Uganda to see how Watoto helps the African community. It was a 10-day trip.

We visited FIDA - Uganda (The Uganda Association of Women Lawyers) , they are a very powerful organization and is one of the leading women’s rights organizations in Uganda and the pioneer of legal aid and public legal education in sub-Saharan Africa. We are very honored to have met with the CEO of FIDA Uganda, Irene Ovonji Odida and her team. She was a very experienced lawyer. Under her leadership, she has helped a lot of women in fighting for their rights in the community. When we arrived their office, we have seen women who are handicapped and those in need queue up waiting for help. We have also seen social workers talking and comforting them. What a beautiful picture!

Similar to us, Human Trafficking has been a hot topic among them, and they have tried to collaborate with different government organizations in order to improve the situation.

We visited the Baby House and the Children Village where there are orphans or children in need being taken care of, either because their parents have abandoned them, died or need to work. With the care of Watoto, the babies are very strong and healthy.

In the children village, each family has around 8 children with a mother that helps to take care of them. The children there are very cheerful and contented.

In order to ensure the children in the village has good and nutritious food to eat, Watoto manages a self sustainable farm called Watoto Lubbe Farm. At the same time, they hire farmers nearby so to create job opportunities to the neighbourhood.

Through Watoto’s Living Hope programme, we have seen lots of vulnerable women empowered. The women need to go through an interview in order to admit into the Living Hope programme. Of course the need in Uganda is more than Living Hope can absorb, but the mission is to help those are more in need first.

Through this programme, the women can earn a living for their family, raise their kids and let them go to school. We visited a few families who are beneficiaries to this programme. The husband/father either abandon them or work in other places where the mother/wife and their children have no one to look after. There was a family where the mother earns a living by washing clothes for others, they can only earn a few dollars in shillings (1 shillings = approx USD0.0003) for each clothing. Due to low income, most of the families are not able to send their children to school. Through the Living Hope programme, the children have food to eat and school to go to.

We visited the Living Hope Centre in both Kampala and Gulu.

We visited the local school community. A lot of girls dropped out from school because of the menstrual period, as they are being laughed at and do not know how to handle. Watoto educates them and provide them with sanitary napkins and soap. The school drop out rate reduced thereafter.

We are very honoured to have dinner with the President and a Council member of Law Society of Uganda. Corruption is a serious issue not only within the country but also within the legal professions. The Law Society of Uganda has the mission to fight, though difficult, they determined that this is an ongoing mission in order to improve society of Uganda.

Africa is such a beautiful place, people there are very passionate. There are many things that we experienced but difficult to describe in words. Watoto organizes trips every year, I strongly recommend you joining them and can assure that you will find their trip inspiring and fruitful!