Introducing Amani Uganda's Blog

    In late 2011, Simprosa’s heart stirred at the story of a young woman who had formerly been abducted by the LRA, and Amani Uganda was born. A member of the family for many years, Simprosa had experienced the transformational ministry of the Amani Kenya center and found it contagious. When she heard the stories of the women abducted by the LRA during the war in Northern Uganda, she decided that Amani’s mission needed to be spread. The women experienced unthinkable trauma during their abduction, from rape and torture, to starvation and death, to even being forced to kill. Although they escaped, they returned to Uganda without much hope for the future. Their families were either killed in the war or rejected them, afraid of what they had experienced. Many of the women passed through other organizations, learning to stitch, but not how to earn a living. Simprosa began working with Mary, a former abductee, in late 2011. Soon, more young women joined, and in March 2012, Simprosa left her full-time job, full of faith that God would provide for the young Amani center. Now, Amani Uganda provides a place of peace, where the women can heal from past wounds and look forward to a hopeful future.

      In the past year and a half, Amani Uganda has transformed from the sliver of hope one woman had to a breathing reality for seven women, living in sisterhood with Amani centers worldwide. At first, Simprosa had to sell products by sharing her story with whoever she met in the streets or in cafes. Struggling to sell enough to pay the girls, Simprosa pressed on, sure that God would provide. He did—in a most unique way—with a tree. Sankofa Cafe is a peaceful place that attracts many mzungus (white people). In front of the cafe stands a tree, commonly known as a tree of blessing. This tree has been a huge blessing to Amani Uganda, as it hosts the shopfront for most of the sales. These sales support the six vivacious young women who joined Amani to earn a living to support their families, providing for their children and themselves. As they have worked at Amani, they have found more than a way to earn money: they have found faith in God, peace from past trauma, and hope for tomorrow.