Rooted in Hope: Carol Ajwang's Journey of Motherhood and Ministry

Carol Ajwang’s home reflects the life she’s built: open doors, open hearts, and a steady rhythm of love and hospitality. At the heart of it all is Carol—wife, mother, mentor, and program manager at Hope Alive!

Carol’s childhood shaped the kind of adult she longed to become. Raised in northern Uganda in a polygamous family, Carol experienced both loss and resilience at a young age. Her mother—a midwife and nurse—passed away from cancer when Carol was in Primary 6 (sixth grade). “That’s when I became a mother to my younger brothers,” she recalls. “I was still a child myself.” Life was hard. She moved in with her stepmother and struggled through the grief. But it was in that same season of sorrow that something new took root.

At a crusade featuring evangelist Reinhard Bonnke, Carol heard the gospel clearly for the first time. “It changed everything,” she says. “God became my mother, my father, everything to me.” Her new faith gave her strength, hope, and a fierce determination to keep studying. She pursued her education with integrity—and eventually, her life and character became a witness to her unbelieving parents. “After many years, my stepmother, my father, and my siblings came to know the Lord through the transformation they saw in me.” Her father went to theological school and now pastors a church in the family’s village. 

Carol never forgot those early days of pain or the grace that carried her through. And it’s that memory that fuels her work at Hope Alive! today.

She trained as a teacher and spent three years in the classroom teaching economics and geography. But something was missing. “I loved working with young people,” she says, “but I felt a vacuum—I wanted something deeper.” Around that time, she attended a training called “Celebrating Children” hosted by the Children at Risk National Collaboration of Christian Agencies. . She remembers, “I had just resigned from teaching, and it captivated me.” She met a new friend at the training who worked for Hope Alive! who informed her about an open position at the Kampala site. Carol applied and was selected as a site assistant. It felt like she had found her place. She says. “I could easily identify with the children. I understood the struggle. And I loved being with them.”

Two years later, Carol was promoted to site manager. Five years after that, she stepped into her current role as program manager, overseeing every site across the ministry. Every site reports to her, and she oversees program budgets, visits sites, evaluates goals, and ensures that the work is making an impact. “It’s humbling,” she says. “You learn a lot. But it’s also deeply fulfilling.”

At home, her heart is just as full. Carol and her husband Amos—whom she met through university missions—have four children: Matthew (21), Elijah (19), Daniel (17), and Israel (14). “We met during an outreach,” she shares with a smile. “He heard me preach at a Muslim girls’ school in Kampala and started following me!”

Together, they’ve created a home anchored in Christ. Every first Thursday of the month is a family day of prayer and fasting. Sunday nights often end with movie nights (usually Christian films selected by her children), followed by discussions and prayer. “Sometimes we cry together,” she says. “And then we pray. These are the memories I want my children to hold.”

Sometimes Carol prepares a special meal, and when her children ask who it’s for, she surprises them: “It’s for you! You’re the guest!” She smiles as she says, “I love surprising them with special meals.”

Carol beams with pride when she talks about them. “The way they love God, the way they don’t take things for granted; they’re hardworking and grounded; they consistently serve at our church. They have placed their hope in Christ. That brings me joy!”

Carol and Amos have opened their home to others, including students from Hope Alive! who have nowhere else to go. “I always promised myself I’d love children who weren’t mine.”

When asked what advice she’d give to young mothers, Carol doesn’t hesitate: “Mother with all your heart. Don’t give half of yourself. Give the best of what you have. Time, love, attention. Be intentional.”

It’s what she’s done for her own children, and for the countless students she’s mentored at Hope Alive! Her story, marked by pain, perseverance, and unwavering faith, continues to ripple out in every life she touches.

“I’m a product of being mothered by many people,” she says. “Now I just want to give that kind of love back—with purpose.”