From Home to Hope: Rosemary’s Journey Through Tailoring and Motherhood

Lubaki Rosemary is a resident of Namungoona, a suburb of Rubaga Division in Kampala, where Solidarity Eden Foundation operates. She arrived in the area in 2019. She is a mother of five children, including a set of twins. Her story touches many in our program, and her desire and commitment to learn inspire us all.

After giving birth to her twins, she found herself stuck at home and felt she needed something to do for herself and to help support the family. It was not easy for her husband to provide for everyone alone, so she wanted to contribute. She joined Solidarity Eden Foundation on the twins’ first birthday.

She had learned about the training school from posters pinned up in the neighborhood and was very happy to discover that they offered tailoring and English classes. However, she faced a clear challenge: what would she do with the twins? She wondered if she would be allowed to attend classes with them, as she had no one else to help care for them.

She spoke to her husband, who told her, “If you can manage with the children, then it’s okay. Fortunately, the school is not very far from home, so you can go and come back easily.” She also talked to a friend in the neighborhood, who loved the idea of studying and decided to join the program as well.

Upon her arrival, she met Teacher Josephine, who was the only teacher at the center that day and, as it happened, spoke Rosemary’s language, Lingala. Rosemary asked how she could join, and Josephine invited her to come back and register the following Thursday, since there were no classes on Wednesdays.

When Rosemary returned with the friend she had shared the idea with, they were told that the center did not usually accept children, especially very young ones. She was asked if she would be able to study while taking care of her children at the same time. Rosemary committed to doing both, as she had no one else to leave them with. Because of this, Solidarity Eden Foundation allowed and welcomed her to attend with her children while she studied.

At the beginning, everything went well, but midway through the program, she began to wonder if she would make it. It was not easy to come to class at 10 a.m. and then go back home to a long list of chores. This was very challenging for her. Still, she continued, kept praying, and held on, because learning tailoring had been her dream since childhood—her mother is also in the business of making clothes. When she heard about this opportunity, she decided she would do everything she could to finish.

She saw many people come and go. Some of the students she found there when she started left and gave up halfway. New students joined, but many of them also could not make it to the end. Rosemary, however, persevered.

The one thing she wants to say as a word of appreciation to all the teachers is that they were very kind and taught them so well. Without the teachers, they would not even be able to make a simple skirt or anything else. She is deeply grateful for the knowledge they shared, which will help them become better people in the future and even become teachers to others. Because if it were not for SEF, she would never have had the chance to learn tailoring. So, what she can say is that her dream has come true. And she believes that, after this, God will continue to help her go even further.

Rosemary plans to open a workshop where she can begin practicing the skills she has learned, as staying at home would feel like wasting the knowledge she gained. She is therefore planning and exploring ways to continue using what she studied. Rosemary is part of a savings group, and she hopes that by the end of the savings cycle, she will have enough funds to invest, as she has ideas for both a tailoring business and a salon, depending on the capital available. Following the completion of the tailoring program, Rosemary was awarded a sewing machine by Solidarity Eden Foundation to support her goals.

Call to Action: 1. Donate to support refugee women like Rosemary via our Secure Donation Page 2. Share this story with your friends for inspiration! 3. Explore our Programs on our website: https://www.solidarityedenfoundation.net/our-programs