In Uganda, finding a job means much more than just receiving a paycheck. It means having dignity, being able to send your children to school, ensuring they have medical care, and building a future with your own hands.
For many women, however, this possibility remains a distant dream. Eunice Anyango, 28, knows this well: she is a young mother of a five-year-old boy who has experienced firsthand the difficulty of raising a family without a stable income.
A Youth Marked by Hardship
Eunice grew up in Northern Uganda, in the Lira district. Ever since she was a girl, she dreamed of becoming a tailor: after primary school, she attended a cutting and sewing course, but she didn’t have the means to start her own business.
«I had a great desire to work, but I couldn’t find anyone willing to trust me. Without a sewing machine, without a workspace, everything seemed impossible».
To support herself, Eunice accepted heavy labor, even working as a night guard. Endless shifts, a minimum wage, and no security: she worked at night and slept during the day, but nothing she did was ever enough to pay for rent and food.
A New Opportunity
In 2023, the opportunity Eunice had been waiting for finally arrived: she was welcomed into our tailoring workshop, located within the Padre Scalabrini Training Centre in Luzira, one of Kampala’s poorest and most vulnerable neighborhoods.
That workshop — strongly supported by Father Giovanni — is now a place where many women like Eunice learn a trade, working in a safe environment and rediscovering their self-confidence.
“Since I started working here, my life has changed. I’ve been able to pay for my mother’s medical care, send my son to school, and pay the rent. Today, I feel like a happy and independent woman.”
Charity Keychains: Small Symbols of Great Change
Eunice is one of the women who, for Christmas, crafted the Fondazione Italia Uganda charity keychains: small objects that hold a great meaning.
Behind each one is a story of courage, work, and hope — and the support of those, like our donors, who choose to continue believing in the future of these women.
You too can support the training and work of many Ugandan mothers like Eunice and receive the charity keychains made in the Padre Scalabrini workshop — symbols of the great change you make possible.
Donate here and receive Fondazione Italia Uganda’s charity keychains to give to those you love!
Work thus becomes an open door to hope: it allows for the provision of food, health, education, and peace of mind for entire families.
This Christmas, the tailoring workshop is full of voices and laughter: women sewing, sharing stories, and helping each other. Women who, like Eunice, have found in work not just an income, but the chance to write a new story for themselves and their children.
