Women Sponsorship | Layet Christine

LAYET CHRISTINE:  Age unknown

As a young girl, Layet Christine faced many challenges.  She never attended school; there just wasn’t enough money.  Even if there had been money, it’s unlikely she could have risked walking to and from school each day.  During the days of her childhood, rebels overtook the land in Northern Uganda.  They abducted young boys to be soldiers and young girls to be “wives.”  As a young girl, Christine witnessed the torture and the vulgarity of war.

In 1994, she and her husband, Washington, sought refuge in the Acholi Quarter.  Together, they have four children and care for five other children.  Washington contributed to the family's income by working as a carpenter and a roofer.  In December 2020, he fell from a roof while working and tragically died. 

Christine makes paper bead jewelry and has taught her daughters the craft.  She also makes the local alcohol, a craft she learned from her mother. 

In the meantime, Christine would like to utilize her connections in the North to purchase large quantities of millet, a staple grain used in the Acholi diet. She will then sell the millet to customers in the Acholi Quarter. Additionally, millet is a key ingredient in a local alcoholic beverage. She already has a small business making this drink for local customers. By purchasing millet in large quantities, she will be able to increase her profits.

Additionally, Christine would like to use her family connections in the North to send large bags of other produce by bus to Kampala, where she can sell it for a significant profit.  Christine also has a side business selling prepared food in the central marketplace of the Acholi Quarter each evening.  By purchasing produce in bulk, she will be able to increase her profits.

Christine hopes her children can achieve the education she was unable to receive.  She also dreams of returning to the North where life is simpler.  She wants to build a home and return to the gardens where she used to grow the family’s food as a child.