Gladies’ early years were marked by heartbreak and rejection. She lost both of her parents to HIV when she was only five years old, leaving her vulnerable and grieving. Her aunt, though struggling with very little, took her in and did all she could. Gladies’ grandmother, a nurse, helped support her education, giving her a small sense of stability. But when her grandmother suffered a stroke that ended her career, the family lost its only income. Her uncle stepped in briefly, but tragically, he died in an accident as well.
By the age of 14, Gladies had completed primary school, but the possibility of attending high school seemed completely out of reach. Her aunt reached out to her father’s family, begging for someone to help continue Gladies’ education. No one stepped forward. With no options left, her aunt wrote to a friend in Kampala in desperation, hoping she might at least find Gladies some work as a housemaid—a common path for village girls her age.
The friend in Kampala refused to give up on her. She contacted a social worker who reached out to 127 Haven to see if we were willing to give Gladies a chance. We immediately agreed to help. Gladies was placed on a bus the very next day and traveled to Kampala alone, holding onto the hope that someone finally believed in her.
When she arrived, she was welcomed into a loving, stable environment—a place where her future mattered and her dreams were given room to grow. Because the school term was already halfway through, she was enrolled right away. Gladies passed all her entry exams and began high school, something she once believed would never be possible.
Since then, she has flourished. She has become a caring big sister to the younger children in the home, offering guidance and compassion shaped by her own experiences. Gladies loves the Lord deeply and has built a strong, personal faith. Today, she is working hard toward a dream that once felt unimaginable: she hopes to study law at university—to stand up for others, protect the vulnerable, and turn her painful past into a future filled with purpose.