“Hope is the hardest thing to find…” say those trying to rebuild Uganda’s northern areas devastated by two decades of war.

“Yes, the fighting has stopped, but our people don’t know how to re-start life. They have no seed to sow, no wood for carpentry, no tools for mechanical work.  It is hard not to give up.”

Mama Maliamungu (pictured below) is an example. She fled Uganda during the fighting and returned ‘home’ only to find many family members dead and her house destroyed. Mama Maliamungu became the sole carer for several orphaned grandchildren.

She could have become a further Ugandan statistic, had a non-profit not come to her rescue. They taught her how to make market baskets from plastic strapping. By selling six bags a day, Mama has managed to rebuild her home and send her grandchildren to school.

She is more fortunate than most. “It’s hard to give people what they need to survive,” locals tell us.  “Many have spent 20 years without education and, even if we teach them skills, how can we put the tools or resources in their hands so they can earn a living?”

That’s where Crossroads has been involved. We have often shipped to Northern Uganda and 2012 was no exception. What Hong Kong doesn’t need can literally save a life in this devastated community. Thank you for standing with us.