Uganda Archives - Cross International

Empowering Women in Rural Uganda: Lydia’s Story

June 2, 2025 by Cross International

As a mother and a grandmother, Lydia is the heart of her household. Over the years, she’s prepared hundreds of meals for her family. And in her home, that’s no small feat. Lydia and her husband Christopher have nine children, some of whom are now adults while the rest are in their teens, and one grandchild. Together the family lives in a small, metal sheet-roofed house in their remote village in southern Uganda.

Lydia cooks for her large family in a tiny space with very basic supplies, and for many years utilized traditional cooking stones that are commonly used by rural Ugandan women. While skilled in this method, Lydia was keenly aware of the hazards of open fire cooking. “The smoke was simply intolerable,” she remembers. “My eyes would burn, and my chest felt heavy. I often worried about the health of my children, who were always around the cooking area.” Lydia and her kids frequently suffered from respiratory infections due to smoke inhalation.

The process was arduous. It took hours each day to collect adequate firewood, leaving minimal time or energy for other activities. The physically-demanding work left Lydia in a constant state of exhaustion, but she pressed on for the sake of her family, trusting God to sustain her. Lydia found comfort in the words of her favorite scripture, “But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” (Isaiah 40:31)

Feeling like she was stuck in an endless cycle, Lydia began attending a series of community meetings organized by Cross International’s local ministry partner, HEED Uganda, which informed residents about various resources and opportunities. Lydia listened intently as meeting leaders discussed the construction of energy-efficient stoves for individual households at extremely low costs. When she realized this was an option for her home, Lydia was elated!

It took just a few hours for Lydia’s new stove to be built. Cooking with the energy-efficient stove produces far less smoke and requires only a fraction of the firewood that was previously needed. Since the switch, Lydia and her family have been healthier from breathing cleaner air. Meanwhile, fewer trips to collect firewood has freed up time for Lydia to spend on other activities. “I now have more time to tend to my garden and grow vegetables for my family. I even have time to make crafts that I sell at the local market in Kafunda.”

From energy-efficient stoves to safe water to agricultural training and much more, Cross International collaborates with local ministries to equip individuals and transform communities. Lydia has experienced the difference firsthand: “Your generosity has brought hope and empowerment into our lives, and I am deeply grateful.”

It’s the selfless giving of people like you that enables Cross International’s work to continue. Partner with us today to bring vital resources and the hope of Christ to the poorest of the poor!

Restoring Peace to Gulu

March 28, 2025 by Cross International

Cecilia, 12, is one of six children born to a former child soldier, a tragic victim of the atrocities inflicted on the people of northern Uganda a generation ago. During that violent era, the perverse Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) was notorious for abducting young children, conscripting boys as soldiers and coercing girls into becoming soldiers’ wives.

During those brutal years, the LRA didn’t just brutalize children, they terrorized children’s families as well. Cecilia’s uncles were abducted, and her grandparents lost 12 acres of land plus many animals to the LRA. It was a dark time for all Ugandans. But today, things are bright again for children like Cecilia, thanks to Gulu Community Park, a community-based playground and evangelical discipleship center supported by Cross International and a Ugandan-based ministry, World Embrace.

It’s hard to imagine that with over 250,000 children in the Gulu district, there are no safe public parks for children, but it’s true! When fully completed, Gulu Community Park will provide 15 acres of enrichment to children like Cecilia.

Already, the park is paying dividends! Cecilia’s father got a new job with Gulu Park security. With his improved income, the family can finally afford the children’s school fees, nutritious meals and even medical treatment. Eventually, Gulu Community Park will be a social hub for the entire community – and Cross International will be there each step of the way.

Your support to our Thriving Kids Initiative will bring joy and a safe space for these children to play, learn, and grow.

What a Princess Looks Like

April 8, 2024 by Cross International

Emily dreams of becoming a doctor when she’s older. Jackie wants to be a teacher. Patricia hopes to lead a church.

For these and other teenage girls in Uganda, such admirable aspirations are fragile. Poverty severely restricts access to education, especially for girls. School represents a pathway to opportunity while also functioning as a safe haven. Cut off from the classroom, girls not only miss out on valuable learning that could have propelled them forward, but often end up in difficult and even dangerous situations. It’s common for Ugandan girls to be forced into marriages as teenagers, part of a desperate attempt by their families to survive. This sadly results in high rates of gender-based violence, abuse, and teen pregnancy.

Emily

Thirteen-year-old Emily’s parents are hard-working farmers, but crop production has been in sharp decline due to challenging conditions, leaving the family without a reliable source of income. The third oldest of seven children and a dedicated student, Emily dreaded the day she might be required to drop out of school and the implications that would have for her future.

Jackie

Inspired by one of her own teachers, Jackie sees herself leading a classroom someday. The 12-year-old treasures time in school, even with the long daily walk to and from. But similar to Emily, Jackie’s parents are farmers with scarce finances and several other kids to take care of. It seemed inevitable that Jackie would need to be pulled from school, with her dreams disappearing in the process.

Patricia

At the age of 14 and the firstborn of five, Patricia is described as a “brilliant girl” who is “determined to do well in school.” Her passion for Jesus is evident in her expressed desire to “change the world by preaching the love of God.” Hindering Patricia’s pursuit of her goals was her family’s financial situation. It was a major struggle for her mother and father to afford their daughter’s educational fees. Patricia wondered if her days in the classroom were rapidly winding to a close.

Crucial junctures like these become tragic turning points for many Ugandan girls, but for this trio marked a new beginning infused with hope thanks to the intervention of Cross International and Kampala-based ministry partner Project Princess Initiative (PPI). Through the faithful giving of Cross International friends, more than two thousand vulnerable girls have been able to stay in school. PPI covers school expenses and empowers girls by providing spiritual and educational support, counseling, vocational and life skills training, and other resources. Each girl is taught that she is a “princess,” an image bearer of God with immeasurable value and worth.

The vision is for girls to flourish as they grow into young women, putting them in a position of stability when they begin their own families, which will ultimately help create thriving communities. Your generosity to Cross International is beautifully redirecting the paths of precious girls like Emily, Jackie, and Patricia. Thank you!

Replacing teen marriage with education and opportunity in Uganda.

June 11, 2020 by Cross International

You can see Immaculate’s drive to succeed in her eyes: round and curious, yet ablaze with determination. Sixteen-year-old Immaculate has a natural gift for writing and a dream to be a midwife. Two years ago this aspiration was impossible, as she faced an early marriage and motherhood, the likely path for most young girls in Uganda. But God led Immaculate to Project Princess Initiative (PPI), a Cross International ministry partner where teen girls find hope, compassion, and opportunity for a better future.

Immaculate lives in Kampala, Uganda, where more than 700,000 girls between the ages of six and twelve have never attended school. Forty percent of girls in Uganda are married before they turn 18, and the average age girls give birth for the first time is 18.9 years old.

When a young girl is in school, the possibility of early marriage drastically diminishes.
Immaculate’s mother, like most mothers, wants the best for her daughter. Earning only $5 USD a week selling dried fish, she sees PPI as a pathway to a better life for Immaculate. With strength and humility, she embraces that PPI provides her daughter a future of opportunity – truly a gift from God.

PPI serves 951 girls with mentoring, life skills training, tutoring, and health education. PPI sends counselors into schools to reach at-risk girls with messages of faith, wise choices, and the importance of education. Girls are able to meet with tutors and counselors, receive vocational training, learn about reproductive and menstrual health, and be medically treated. Younger girls look to their “Big Sisters”, older girls living out what they learn at PPI, for encouragement as they grow and thrive in the program and in faith. Seeing other girls and women like them succeed invokes hope and confidence.

Children living in crisis need opportunity, not charity.
Cross International’s desire is to bring kids to a full, rich life with hope, potential, and a bright future of becoming an adult able to meaningfully contribute to their community. We believe that we can reach the family through the child; to help that child thrive is how we help families and communities.

Vulnerable children like Immaculate are under the special care and protection of God. It is our privilege, as His people, to contribute to their redemptive story. Please consider supporting our Thriving Kids initiative today and give children like Immaculate an opportunity to stand firm on the foundation of Jesus Christ. Your donation supports the Thriving Kids initiative to answer God’s call to love orphans and children.

Every child has potential. Not every child has opportunity. With Cross, you can give them that gift.

Ministering to African Women Through Microenterprise

December 10, 2019 by Cross International

As we continue to raise support for Thriving Kids Africa, we want to highlight one way these effective programs are changing the lives of 15,000 children and their family members: Microenterprise.

What is a microenterprise? It’s a small business run by one person with a limited number of employees. These small ventures make up a large percentage of businesses in Africa, and they are potential paths out of poverty for many families. But African women who want to start their own microenterprises face significant challenges.

In many African countries, women have limited rights to own property and open bank accounts on their own. Cultural expectations can be a hindrance, especially in rural areas, where women are often expected to rely on their husband or extended family for support instead of going into business for themselves. If a woman does succeed in launching a start-up, lack of information, mentorship and/or training can limit her ability to choose more profitable business models or expand their ventures.

Even though there are currently more female entrepreneurs in Africa than their male counterparts, studies show that female business owners have access to just ⅙ of the capital male business owners do. And those woman-owned enterprises’ profits are 38 percent lower than those owned by men!

Helping female entrepreneurs access business training, finance programs, technology and social support systems can help them overcome these barriers—and lift their families out of poverty.

Thriving Kids Africa is funding two microenterprise projects that offer essential economic and spiritual support.

In Malawi, our partner Ambuya Development Center is ministering to women in the village of Thanganyika. They estimate 60 percent of women there are the sole providers for their families because of their husband’s neglect. Cross International donors help those women learn entrepreneurial skills and join an empowering network of female business owners. The program gives these women access to a two-year cycle of microloans that give them the capital they need to start a new microenterprise. This support helps women in rural Malawi, feed their families, send their children to school, leave abusive marriages and ultimately escape poverty.

Read Esther’s entrepreneurial success story.

In Zambia, our partner Kachere Development Program brings together female heads of households into self-help groups where women can brainstorm solutions to their community’s social and economic issues. They also gain the profitability training they need to grow their small businesses along with access to three rounds of low-interest microloans, which the group self-manages. The generosity of Cross International givers makes it possible for these women to care for their families and better their communities. Nutrition, education, safe housing, medical care: All of this becomes possible with microenterprise support.

Help empower female entrepreneurs in Malawi and Zambia by giving to Thriving Kids Africa.

How meeting basic needs help vulnerable kids thrive in Malawi

December 5, 2019 by Cross International

Roderick was born in the southern Malawi village of Thanhanyika with his future ahead of him. When he was three, that quickly changed. His parents died, leaving him in the care of elderly grandparents that could not afford to feed him. Roderick did not attend school because he was either too sick or working for food. In March 2019, his village encountered cyclone Idai, the worst tropical cyclone on record. Roderick’s family lost their home … twice.

A promising future was hard for Roderick to see.

In 2013, Roderick joined Ambuya Development Centre (ADC), a local Thriving Kids Africa partner. Rooted in Christianity, ADC’s mission is to empower vulnerable women and children of rural Malawi through formal education, workshops and training.

Today, Roderick is 10, and because of the love and support of generous Cross International givers like you, he is in grade four, receives food six days a week, lives in a safe, warm home, and has a thriving future ahead of him.

A village of opportunity.

Thanganyika Village is home to more than 5,300 people, many of them women and children. 85% of villagers are living on less than $1 a day. As a result of this severe poverty, the village struggles with drug and alcohol abuse, an HIV/AIDS pandemic, overcrowded homes due to the influx of orphaned children, drought and lack of access to education, food, clean water and safe homes.

When basic needs are met, children can thrive.

Together with ADC, we have built a holistic, integrated, multisectoral approach to helping the children of Malawi thrive. Our approach brings together clean water, education, a feeding program, safe housing and community centers and microloans.

Since its inception, ADC has been able to provide Thanganyika with life-changing resources like a solar-powered water system, organic vegetable gardens and the sharing of Christ’s love. Your continued support provides ongoing nourishment for the children in Roderick’s village, which supports overall health, improved school attendance and learning.

Our goals are big. Our God is bigger.

Today, our vision is to continue feeding 300 children six days a week, rebuild 335 homes and build a fellowship hall that includes a cafeteria, community event space and evacuation center. And because there are more female-led households in Africa today than ever before, we hope to offer microloans to 200 women so more mothers can feed, take care of, and send their children to school.

Through the power of Jesus, we know it’s possible!

As we look to the future in Thanganyika, southern Malawi and for all Thriving Kids Africa, we are prayerful that we can continuously grow programming year over year. Please consider monthly support to give families like Roderick’s hope for a future of possibility.

Sharing the Gospel Through Entrepreneurship

November 26, 2019 by Cross International

In rural Malawi, where Esther Fabiano lives, only 10 percent of rural Malawi students complete secondary school. But Esther has big dreams for her son. She wants him to graduate, so he can go on to attend college. Esther knows education is a powerful tool for fighting poverty. But in order to get her son the schooling he needs, Esther needed to earn money for his tuition. She had to go on her own learning journey as well.

Eighty percent of Malawi’s population relies on agriculture for its income and survival. Storms, droughts and accidents can destroy a family’s security in seconds. Esther was trying to earn extra money—and stability—for her family by selling cakes and grilled meat, but she didn’t have the resources she needed to make her business profitable.

Women in Malawi struggle to gain access to capital and markets. Tools that American entrepreneurs might take for granted (access to electricity, credit cards, business loans and the Internet) aren’t readily available in Malawi’s villages. Other barriers—including gender-based violence and a lack of representation in governmental leadership roles—make it even harder for Malawi’s female entrepreneurs to get ahead.

Thanks to donations to Cross International, Esther was able to take advantage of an empowering program run by one of our partner organizations, the Ambuya Development Center. The program teaches local women how to run a profitable small business at an average cost of just $39 per participant. Esther was welcomed into a supportive network of female entrepreneurs and given access to a two-year cycle of microloans to help her increase her earning potential.

Esther began by borrowing $13 to buy a pig. Through a system called kuvuula, she loans the pig to her neighbors to breed and receives half the piglets. She sells those piglets for cash to pay for her son’s school tuition. Following business best practices, Esther then diversified. She began purchasing and reselling food and took out a second microloan to buy two cows. She used some of her profits to buy and install solar-powered security lights to keep her growing business safe.

Because of your generosity to Cross International, Esther can afford to educate her son. That education will have a life-long impact on their family and their community. When you give to the Thriving Kids Africa campaign, you are giving to proven church-based programs that help families like Esther’s escape poverty—and know God’s love.

Help support other female small business owners and their children by giving to the Thriving Kids Africa campaign.

Sources: “Women’s Economic Empowerment and Equality: Malawi.” USAID. Accessed 12 November, 2019.

“The World Bank in Malawi,” The World Bank. Accessed 12 November, 2019.

“School Completion Rates,” Unicef. November 2019.

Empowering Girls in Uganda: the Project Princess Initiative

November 22, 2019 by Cross International

In Uganda, a special group of girls gather to pray, greeting each other with a friendly smile before bowing their heads to thank the Lord for what He has done for them. This “Big Sister Circle” prays for God to continue working in their lives, and they also encourage younger girls to look to God for hope in the future. These ‘big sisters’ have been changed through the work of the Project Princess Initiative, a Cross International ministry partner committed to supporting, educating, and empowering girls to become responsible leaders of the next generation in Uganda.

Girls in Uganda are desperately in need of the kind of support the Project Princess Initiative provides. According to the United Nations Girls’ Education Initiative, 4 in 5 girls in Uganda do not attend high school, around half of girls between ages 15-24 are illiterate, and more than 700,000 girls between the ages of 6-12 have never attended school. Poverty is a leading contributor to this problem, as the expense of school uniforms and supplies are often prioritized for boys. Early marriage prevents many girls from continuing in school, with around 35% of girls dropping out of school due to marriage and 23% due to pregnancy. For those who try to stay, inadequate infrastructure for girls’ hygiene at school results in prolonged gaps in their education, as girls stay home during their monthly cycles.

The Project Princess Initiative is determined to change this reality, one girl at a time. The initiative was started in 2009 by Fiona Miremba Kiggundu, a Christian Ugandan woman concerned about the abused girls who sought help at her preschool. From the beginning, the focus has been keeping vulnerable girls in school, providing an education which will empower them to thrive economically and build stable families, which, in turn, builds stable communities.

To do this, the Project Princess Initiative uses multiple approaches. Through school partnerships, “Talk Sessions” are offered after hours so girls can learn more about topics such as career choices, self-esteem, decision making, hygiene management, and body changes. Sessions are designed to challenge, inspire, and equip vulnerable young women to stay in school. Girls also receive counseling, tutoring, and health services at the Project Princess Initiative’s own center, a safe place to make friends in group sessions that include Bible study and psychological support. For girls outside of school—either raising siblings or as a result of teen pregnancy—the program offers vocational training and start-up equipment to help girls generate ongoing income and make a decent living in trades like bead making, tailoring, hair dressing, cooking, candle- or soap-making. This year, Cross International is partnering with the Project Princess Initiative to reach as many as 1,000 at-risk girls with scholarships, supplies, life and work skills to provide them with hope for the future.

In all this, the most important element is the spiritual emphasis, where girls are taught from scripture about the love of God and the hope He brings. As they read the Bible and attend church regularly, girls learn to place their trust in God. The strength of this hope and trust is deeply empowering for the girls of Uganda, enabling them to take initiative in their growth and development. This is how the “Big Sister Circle” prayer group was formed, as older girls sought to connect in prayer and encourage younger girls to continue in the program. It’s the kind of momentum the Project Princess Initiative and Cross International plan to build upon in the years to come.