May 05, 2025
“My mom would always tell me, ‘If you’re not the best in your class, then why are you going to school?’” recalls Winnie seriously, but with a smile, as she thinks of how her mother, Mama Oyet, has demanded the best of her. That encouragement has helped Winnie, just 23 years old, attain her current success as a mechanical engineer for Pepsi. Her three older siblings also have all earned university degrees. Mama Oyet, whose own education was cut short by the war in Northern Uganda, is determined that her children have a better life. Thanks to her hard work, they do. Poverty and war are no match for Mama Oyet.
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When Mama Oyet first came to the Acholi Quarter after fleeing the war, she worked tirelessly. She’d make pancakes to sell in the morning and alcohol to sell in the evenings. “I did what I needed to do,” Mama Oyet says in a hushed tone that defies her audacious and resilient spirit. Mama Oyet is a force and she has instilled that same spirit in her youngest daughter.
“The best I can do is to make my mom happy,” Winnie declares with equal parts love, strength and admiration. “My success will be that she is well cared for and happy.”
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February 05, 2026
Meet the women who keep Project Have Hope moving forward every day. From Mama Oyet’s steady leadership and Santina’s entrepreneurial drive to Jennifer’s rising confidence and ambition, each woman’s journey is a story of resilience, growth, and community. Together, they are not only building brighter futures for their own families — they are shaping opportunity and hope for the entire Acholi Quarter.
September 09, 2024
August 21, 2024
"I think big!" gushes Eric. "I want to be the best designer ever!"
His goals aren’t limited to fashioning clothes, but to every aspect of design. With unbridled ambition, a strong work ethic and passion, this 22 year old is unstoppable.
Thanks to Project Have Hope's scholastic sponsorship program, Eric had the opportunity to pursue a course in fashion and design, and is currently employed by a company that manufactures clothes for government contracts.
Eric’s passion for design was ignited when he was 17 years old. His uniform was too big and ill-fitting. He was determined to fix it. “ ‘Let me try,’ ” he recalls saying to himself as he sat behind a sewing machine for the first time to adjust his uniform. “From that day, I loved tailoring.