Happy Saint Lucia’s Day to All Our Friends

Happy Saint Lucia’s Day to everyone in Scandanavia and around the world!

Hope Ofiriha wants to send warm wishes and thanks to all of our supporters, donors, child sponsors, partners, volunteers, and everyone else playing a role in our success. Just as Saint Lucia was said to have brought food to hungry people during a famine, you gave a hand up to struggling South Sudanese women and children. Your hand up fed the hungry, gave life-saving medicines to the dying, and gave hope to widows and orphans.

Enjoy this special day of celebration and merriment and remember that we could not do this work without you.

December 13, 2010 by William Logai Ochieng Tags: holidays, saint lucia, thanks

William Logai Ochieng, our Executive Director, is originally from Torit, the capital of Sudan’s Eastern Equatoria State. He moved to Norway when he was 23 years old. William has been advising and contributing to Hope Ofiriha since its early days and became Executive Director in 2006. He brings Hope Ofiriha broad commercial experience after having run his own business for several years in Uganda. He has a bachelor’s in International Marketing from BI Norwegian School of Management.

Sitawa Wafula manages Hope Ofiriha’s social media presence from her home in Kenya. A survivor of rape, she is a tireless advocate for women and girls in Magwi County, many of whom suffered sexual violence during the civil war. Her other advocacy work includes leading a sanitary-towel campaign in partnership with Sanibank Consortium for girls from disadvantaged backgrounds in rural Kenya and serving as Kenya’s Ambassador for Mental Health (she personally suffers seizures) under Basic Needs UK in Kenya alongside Actor/Musician Anthony Mwangi. Sitawa has been nominated for a Feather Award for her work. Sitawa is a former Actuarial Science university student who works as an events organizer. She is also an accomplished poet and open mic performer.

Linda Acen Abili became our Program Director in 2005 and was critical to expanding our mission a year later to helping women and children—both girls and boys—throughout Magwi County and in Uganda. Linda is from Omilling, a remote mountain village Hope Ofiriha serves, and is the only person from there to graduate from university. The people of Omilling respect her enormously, and she is thrilled to be able to help her marginalized community and others like it. Linda holds a degree in Business Administration from Juba University.

We know you might want to help create a brighter future for South Sudanese children living in poverty in Uganda but not want to become a regular child sponsor. That’s why we created our Uganda Education Project. It is similar to our direct child sponsorship program, except it pools donations, allowing donors to give once, or now and then, without making a commitment. The project pays children’s school fees; buys them school uniforms and books; and ensures they are fed, clothed, and have access to medical care. Please consider making a donation to keep impoverished refugees in school today.

Hope Ofiriha has created several volunteer information guides addressing common concerns and questions that will help you make sure our volunteer program is the right fit for you. They explain what your fees and living expenses will be, what the healthcare clinic and primary and nursery schools are like, and more.