Muchemwa came to Luanshya pregnant at 15 years old. She had little baby Ruthie a little less than a year ago and recently came to live us. 

Both of her parents had died from AIDS when she was a young child. Having constantly travelled between one extended family or another, she has rarely been in school.   Since her parents’ deaths, she has never experienced any consistency in her life – nor has she ever known the comfort of being able to stay in one home.  Each time the extended family members would run out of resources, she would be shifted to another home.  As a result, she is quite unstable and doesn’t have any trust.  

We have agreed to give her a safe place to have her baby and help her get her feet on the ground – she is presently attending grade 6 and we hope that she will be able to finish high school. She is a patient mother and very thankful for the opportunity Vima Lupwa Home is offering her and her baby. 

When asked her plans for the future, she doesn't know what she will do. She has lived so many years fighting for survival day by day that she never had much chance to give the future much thought, nor did she ever think that she had any control of her future. 

Thanks to Violet's guidance and care, Muchemwa is learning that she can make a good life for herself and her little baby. She has a tough road ahead before she’ll be able to be on her own:  completing school, watching after her baby and being a single mother is a challenge she will have to learn to face.  We are confident that she will attain her goals with patience, guidance time and the knowledge that she can lead a better life with an education or training.