Wow. That was my first reaction to Lovinsa’s story. She’s a 15-year-old girl in Uganda, and the things that have happened in her life are heavy. Lovinsa’s story is one of extreme heartache, but even more so, it’s one of beautiful redemption happening through healing.
You see, Lovinsa was living with her mother, but when she was seven, her father came and took her to live with him and his family, which included her stepmom and step siblings. Even after this switch of households, though, Lovinsa’s mom was still the one financially supporting her through the means of her market vendor job. So Lovinsa was under her dad’s roof, but she wasn’t necessarily under his care.
This became even more evident when her stepmom left the house to go to a funeral one day, and her dad took her into another room in the house, away from all her step siblings, and had sex with her. He threatened her and told her not to tell anybody about what happened. He claimed that he had spoken with a sorcerer who had instructed him to rape her if he wanted his business to flourish. This happened several more times and Lovinsa became pregnant.
After the news came out that Lovinsa had conceived, her father denied having any part in the pregnancy. Her father, who was supposed to protect her, instead exploited her and left her helpless. After his repeated denial, her sister finally reported him to the police, and they took him to prison. So her father was gone, but she still had to deal with the effects of his actions against her. She eventually gave birth to a baby boy, but he was rejected because the form of his conception was culturally unethical. Not even her family she lived with wanted to associate with him.
Lovinsa’s mom wants to be able to care for her daughter, but she faces struggles financially and she just doesn’t have the means to take care of her, so Lovinsa went to stay with her grandmother.
What was she supposed to do? She wasn’t educated, she didn’t have the finances to cover her cost of living, which meant she couldn’t pay for school, and she had to take care of her baby boy as a 15-year-old without the help of the father—her father. She faced deep emotions of betrayal, confusion, and hurt. But Lovinsa’s story doesn’t end here in the heartache…
She became the recipient of a scholarship from The Hope Venture through our partnership with Wakisa, a pregnancy center in Uganda for teenage mothers. She had been able to attend Wakisa and receive help from them throughout her pregnancy, and once she gave birth, we partnered with Wakisa to help her even beyond the raising of her child.
She now goes to school at Buloba Primary School, and it’s more than just a formal education for her. She takes classes and grows her knowledge, but she’s also healing. It’s a safe space. It’s therapeutic for her to go to school… to learn about things she enjoys, to build healthy relationships with her teachers and classmates, and to work toward a diploma that can help her in her pursuit of a stable career.
She has also gotten involved with the Girl Guides group at school, which is similar to Girl Scouts in the US, but has an emphasis on sharing the word of God and taking care of one another emotionally, spiritually, and physically. They also take care of the school premises and make sure it’s clean. They play games and have fun with one another, fostering a fun, safe, and healthy community.
There seems to be a sprout of hope pushing through the ash in the midst of all the betrayal and hurt Lovinsa has walked through. Redemption is happening. Healing is happening. She laughs. She’s made friends. She’s found community. Her teachers love having her in class. The scholarship that was provided for Lovinsa is reaching far beyond the classroom—it’s providing an opportunity for deep parts of her heart to be mended and restored.
