Ms. Elisabeth has known hardship most of her life. When her husband died, she was left alone to raise eight children in Acibu Village in northern Uganda—working as a farmer and selling grinding stones to keep her family fed and her children in school.

Then her daughter Goretty became pregnant in the 6th grade. Both Ms. Elisabeth and her daughter were devastated. They had worked so hard to keep her in school and out of poverty.

In Uganda, 34% of girls are married before age 18, and nearly a third have their first child before then. For many families living in poverty, a daughter's pregnancy can feel like the end of the road, with no other option but dropping out of school and marrying her off. It is a cycle that repeats itself generation after generation.

Ms. Elisabeth refused to let this happen.

A Mother Who Keeps Showing Up

In 2024, Ms. Elisabeth attended a two-day training organized by MEMPROW (Mentoring and Empowering Program for Young Women), a VOW for Girls–supported organization in Uganda, designed for parents of child mothers. The sessions focused on financial literacy, business strategy, and economic resilience: practical tools to help families like hers not just survive, but grow.

The training changed her life.

With a new perspective, she looked at the family land her late father had left open for any relative to use. She saw possibility. She cleared 1½ acres and planted cassava. She harvested, sold, and reinvested, purchasing goats, planting beans, and expanding her crops season by season.

When MEMPROW provided her with seed capital of 200,000 shillings ($1,548.59 USD), she put 150,000 ($1,161.44) into restocking her grinding stone business, supplying markets across three districts. That investment returned 500,000 shillings ($3,871.47). Her next stock of 140 grinding stones brought in 650,000 ($5,032.91 USD) more.

Today, she saves 5,000 shillings ($38.71 USD) every week and is building a home for her family. She plans to continue farming and expand her grinding stone business to other district markets as she supports Goretty's education.

Breaking the Cycle

For Ms. Elisabeth, her story is about more than money; it's about keeping her daughter in school and out of the cycle that traps so many girls in Uganda. Child marriage and early pregnancy are among the leading reasons girls drop out permanently. But with the right education and support, women and girls are breaking the cycle.

Goretty is now in high school, all because her mother refused to give up and showed her that a different life was still possible.

A Gift That Keeps Growing

Ms. Elisabeth's story is a reminder of what mothers make possible—not just for their own daughters, but for the generations of girls who will follow. This Mother's Day, you can be part of that change.

By supporting VOW for Girls, you help fund the training, mentorship, and community programs that give mothers the tools to keep their daughters in school, resist child marriage, and follow their dreams.

When you support mothers like Ms. Elisabeth, you help them keep their daughters in school and out of the cycle of early marriage. Just $25 can provide school supplies for two girls for over a month—from paper and pencils to books and school clothes.

Donate to VOW for Girls today!

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