As a child, Ayoo Margaret eagerly attended school. Her father died when she was only 9, and as the last born, the family lacked the funds for her to study.  Determined from a young age, Margaret paid her way by brewing and selling the local alcohol. A bright student, she excelled in her studies and easily passed the national exam required to attend secondary school. Unfortunately, she’d never have that opportunity.  War interfered.  No longer was it safe to travel to school.  The rebels were everywhere, just waiting to abduct children – boys to become soldiers, girls to become “wives.”

Margaret continued selling the local alcohol and worked in the fields with her brother to support themselves and their aging mother.  When Margaret was about 18, the rebels abducted her.  She stayed captive for two weeks before she was able to escape. Concerned the rebels would come back for her, her elder brother ferried her south to Gulu to stay with extended family. She stayed there for two years before relocating further south to the Acholi Quarter.

Like most newcomers to the Quarter, Margaret struggled to support herself.  First, she leaned into her old skills of making the local alcohol, but found customers would drink “on credit” and not pay their mounting tabs. Then she tried her hand at crushing stones in the quarry, but found the treacherous conditions unbearable. During this time, she married and had two children.  In 1997, her husband died.  Her children, still young, were now her sole responsibility.

When Project Have Hope entered the picture in 2006, Margaret took advantage of the opportunity to study catering.  After completing the program, she started a small business selling prepared foods in the evening marketplace within the Quarter.  One of the first women to enter into this business, Margaret has learned how to navigate the challenges and has built a secure livelihood that continues to support her family.