Girls with Value

Does anyone else remember the awkward teen years? For many girls, adolescence is a time when self-esteem plummets and negative peer pressure can become overwhelming. Hope Alive! alumna and mentor Mary Tushabe saw a need for specialized mentorship for older girls, so she started the Girls With Value Club at the Masaka site. Mary has been overjoyed to see it transforming girls’ lives. The girls share their challenges with Mary and each other, and Mary reminds them that they have great worth and value despite the hardships they are facing. 

The club is for girls ages 12 and above, and meets during school breaks. The group gives girls a space to share their personal struggles and obstacles. Some of the girls are struggling to feel loved and find friendships, and Girls with Value has become a beautiful community for them. The young women study the Bible together and frequently remind each other of the worth each one of us has in Jesus.

At a recent gathering, a student named Eva shared her testimony. Eva’s mother left when Eva was two, and her single grandmother raised her along with eight other children. At the age of seven, Eva started selling roasted and boiled maize (corn) to earn a living. A kind stranger saw her selling maize and paid for her school fees for two years. After that, Eva missed school for a year and then was able to go back to school through primary seven–the highest level of elementary school–thanks to the generosity of another benevolent stranger. This is when Eva came to Hope Alive! and was connected with a sponsor who ensured her school fees would be paid consistently. 

Eva started attending Saturday Club, where she accepted Christ as her Savior. Before her enrollment in Hope Alive! Eva says she had very low self-esteem due to her family situation. She is now in the praise and worship team at Masaka Baptist Church, serves on her school’s student government and mentors another Hope Alive! student. She is currently learning about animal farm management in school, and plans to teach her Hope Alive! community everything she is learning. 

We’re thankful for the leadership of women like Mary and Eva, and how they are encouraging other young women to share their stories with each other and build each other up as sisters in Christ.