We receive some pretty tough stories from our partners about the recipients of our projects here at The Hope Venture. Our hearts break over the poverty, separated families, or the absence of educational opportunities that we hear about. However, the recipients’ stories are often ones of hope brought into a hopeless situation, and usually, the details of a person’s life can help us tell their story with truth and dignity… to highlight how they’ve been impacted while not neglecting the difficulty of their situation.
We’ve also been excited about all the new partners we’re building relationships with and the projects we’re able to start together. One of these projects is a high school scholarship for teen moms with our partners Miriam and Sylvia in Uganda. We heard a little bit about Jenaviv and her story from Sylvia, and wanted some more details about her backstory. We reached out to Sylvia for more information, and Sylvia displayed great integrity. She gently responded that due to the government information protection policy, she was restricted to keep some information confidential, and she didn’t give us the details we were asking for. “Wow,” we thought. We were taken aback by the character Sylvia showed and were so thankful that we had a partner who showed that she would choose protection and honor over divulging information just because we asked for it. And let us also say, we have trusted relationships with our partners. We talk, we share information… however, we appreciated Sylvia’s understanding of the local law and her choice to abide by it.
But, here’s what we do know about sweet Jenaviv. She was living with her mom and her stepdad, along with her two brothers and one sister in Uganda. She was going to school, then got pregnant at a young age—a devastating blow for an adolescent girl. She would quickly enter a whole new world… the world of motherhood, while still sorting through her own dreams, pursuing an education, and even just trying to figure out how to care for herself. She eventually gave birth to a son and named him Joram.
However, her parents weren’t so happy… they criticized and abused her psychologically for having a baby at such a young age. They weren’t helping her financially, and Joram’s father wasn’t helping either. The two of them don’t have a current relationship, and unless Jenaviv would ask him for money, he wasn’t contributing at all. Jenaviv has a hard time supporting herself and Joram, and since she couldn’t pay to go to school, she had no idea how she would get an opportunity for a steady job.
But Jenaviv’s story isn’t a strikeout—she became a recipient of a scholarship to continue her education as a teen mom. Her school fees and school supplies were paid for, and she began taking classes again. This provides a lot of relief to Jenaviv because she’ll have an opportunity to get a good job after she graduates. She wants to be a midwife and serve her community. With this opportunity, she has hope that Joram will have access to a good education in his future too!
So that’s what we know about Jenaviv and her story, and we’re so thankful she has someone advocating for her in Sylvia. Jenaviv has endured some hard situations, and she’s still in a tough spot with going to school as a single mother, but not all hope is lost. She’s getting back on her feet, she’s pursuing her future, she’s caring for her son… she’s not giving up in the fight. How incredibly encouraging is Jenaviv! Oh, that we might be like her—to not give up in our own fights! And to be like Sylvia—acting with beautiful integrity in our lives, caring for those around us.
