HOPE Ofiriha was founded by ten widows on July 27th, 1999. The organization is registered with Magwi County local government – Department of community services.

Initially the organization assisted widows only, to identify and implement solutions to a variety of problems confronting women in Onura during the war. Local training and other projects promoting the conditions of widows were initiated. Since its inception Mr. William Ochieng and Ms. Linda Acen re – started HOPE Ofiriha in 2006. They broadened its original purpose and began to encompass projects beyond those narrowly aimed at widow’s training. The organization subsequently embarked to promote the issues affecting women, young girls, and children as a whole in the marginalized communities within Magwi County Sudan.

Mr. Ochieng and Ms. Acen have an interest in the marginalized Lofiriha people and in particular the area, the women, young girls, and school children around Onura where the organization is based. Mr. Ochieng brings a broad commercial experience to HOPE Ofiriha after having run his own business for several years in Uganda. Ms. Acen has an administrative background from Juba University. Putting together their skills has meant that the Organization has developed into an efficient and well run organization. They are realists, not idealists, and believe in giving a hand up, not a hand out!

But why Onura;

For pregnant women, and young girls , the lack of medical care is particularly dangerous, as prenatal care and delivery services are unavailable, leaving them vulnerable to potentially fatal complications. They are driven by these facts, which they cannot ignore:

They feel it is very important that costs are kept to a minimum. For example, the design and the maintenance of the website and all administrative work are done by them at no cost to the organization.

HOPE Ofiriha only employs local people, mostly women, and they are responsible for the day to day running of the projects at the ground. Mr. Ochieng and Ms. Acen are in weekly contact with the managers, who provide progress reports on the projects. Mr. Ochieng regularly visits Onura sub community to keep an eye on how the organization is running and to develop new programmes. They spend time training and empowering the senior managers, staff, and meeting with members of the local Onura sub communities.

HOPE Ofiriha is different to most organizations working in southern Sudan;

With others, so much money is spent on new cars, higher administrative overhead, higher expatriate salary, inefficient systems, report writing, medical insurance, monitoring, and auditor’s fees etc., and that very little money practically gets its way to the people who the donors wished to help. HOPE Ofiriha is based at ONURA and has a minimal local overhead. The organization deal directly with the local communities and it is made clear that HOPE Ofiriha helps women who help themselves. The organization often acts as a catalyst to make things happen. HOPE Ofiriha has 425 local members who generously support the organization with their donations.

HOPE Ofiriha is involved with education, micro credit and healthcare locally in Lofiriha community. It is also actively involved in an environmental tree planting project in Onura which covers an area of 5,000 Sq.km.

Our Mission:

We alleviate the suffering of women, young girls and children in rural Magwi County Sudan. We use an approach of local development, which means empowering women, village by village, to move towards self-reliance by creating their own long-term solutions to their problems. Our mission is to improve the standard of education, healthcare; to preserve, sustain, and develop the environment; and to create local opportunities for the women around Onura on the northern part of Magwi County.

Our Vision:

To bring self-sustenance to 600,000 women, young girls in 48 communities by 2020 in Magwi County Sudan.