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Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this:
to look after orphans and widows in their distress
and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
James 1:27

Justina is a Rwandan refugee, who fled the genocide over the hills into south western Uganda. She left behind her whole family, and has now been widowed for a second time.

The poverty and need in this and other regions is beyond our comprehension, but we can make a difference: The Justina Project will help to provide shelter and support to widows and orphans in the areas where we work.

Justina and her daughter Iris were living in complete poverty, in an animal shed when we first met them in August 2011, fearing that at any time they would become completely without shelter. So we raised the funds to buy a piece of land and to build a little house for Justina and Iris, so that they may know the peace and security of having their own home. During our trip to Uganda in August 2012 we were really pleased to be able to go and see the land that had been bought for Justina, and to start digging the foundations. She was so so excited when we were there - it was extremely humbling!
The house is now built, with a small cook house and latrine just behind it.

When we first arrived in Rwentobo April 2013, we went to visit Justina, and her garden was amazing - absolutely full with vegetables, maize and new banana trees. It was incredible to see. And during the months since then, when we have been to see her, she has been benefiting from these crops. We have been encouraging her to grow surplus so that she can also receive an income from selling the crops at market. Her goat has had babies, and she will sell the male kid once he is big enough, which will also bring some revenue. Sadly, her chickens have not done too well, as a chicken disease has spread through Uganda, and she lost many of the new chicks that the original chicken had hatched. But she does still have a hen and a cockerel. We had some very sad news earlier in the summer: Justina's only grandchild, pictured in the photo here, had passed away very suddenly, from malaria, it is believed. Justina and her younger daughter Iris, were so saddened by this loss.

In early July this year, we were introduced to Rosemary, an elderly lady who is lame and lives in a tiny hovel. She cares for her only surviving relative, Forward, her 10 year old grandaughter. Rosemary sells charcoal to try and make a small income, and her food comes from the floor of the weekly market in Rwentobo, where she picks up any dropped beans and vegetables. She has nothing with which to pay her rent, and through the generosity of a group of friends back in Suffolk, she now has the security of her rent being paid for a very long time to come. We were also able to buy her a wooden arm chair, with cushions, as she only had an old car battery to sit on. She was overjoyed!

We also met some dear elderly ladies living in a different community near Lake Bunyonyi, who live without anything to sit on in their little homes. Each lady has her own story: Janet's husband took his own life last year through desperation and hunger; Everina Jane cares for her 2 orphaned grandchildren and makes baskets to raise some income; Joy is in her late 90's, and lives at the bottom of the community, but manages the steep climb most days. We have been able to purchase some wooden furniture with cushions to make life much more comfortable for them. Little touches that make a big difference."