(Teen Moms and Their Children at Suubi House in Uganda)
We first met Miriam in 2007, when she visited from Uganda, Africa. Miriam is the YFC Director of a maternity home and crisis pregnancy center for teen moms called Mirembe House. It was immediately clear that God had placed a passion for teen moms in the hearts of the staff in Uganda, just as He had placed it in ours! When Miriam visited in 2009, she shared the vision for a home for parenting teen moms, as so many of the girls from Mirembe had no family to go to following their babies birth. In 2010, Suubi House opened – Suubi means “Hope” in Lugandan!
In May of this year, three Hope House staff members traveled to Uganda with Youth for Christ and How101 – a Denver ministry that offers scholarships to teen moms in Uganda so they can go to school. We are so incredibly grateful that God gave us the chance to meet and serve over 80 teen mothers and their children in Uganda! Our goal was to find out what it takes for a teen mom in Uganda to be able to be self sufficient, and how God might lead us to partner with YFC & How101 to make that happen. We also desired to start a “pen pal” or e-mail communication program between our Hope House girls and the Suubi House girls, offering them an opportunity to share how much they have in common, even half a world apart!
God has given us such a huge vision – to see the lives of teen moms all over the world transformed by learning how much God loves them, and through access to the tools they need to be self sufficient and loving parents. In our five year strategic plan, we have set a goal for partnering nationally and internationally with organizations who share our vision and values, and our deep passion for teen mothers and their children. We are SO excited to see how God will use our partnership with How101 and YFC to transform the lives of our girls in Uganda! – Lisa Steven, Executive Director at Hope House