“Prostitution was inevitable,” Dembe* said as she shared the highs and lows of her life story. She was born into a large family in rural Uganda. Childhood was filled with siblings and school.
Then, in grade seven, her father suddenly passed away. “Life was hard for me after this incident,” she shared. Dembe, alongside her brothers and sisters, dropped out of school to help their family survive. Dembe worked in neighbors’ gardens and crops to earn a little money.
But poverty only tightened its grip. At just 16 years old, Dembe was determined to get married. “My hope was that maybe the husband I got would help liberate my family out of our poor living conditions,” she said.
HOPE TURNS TO TRAGEDY
Dembe was delighted when she met and married a truck driver who kept his promise to provide for her family. Together, they had three children in three years. “I was happy and settled in my mind; my children were growing, and I was loved by my husband,” Dembe recalled.
But disaster struck when Dembe’s husband was killed in a car accident. “I was at home looking after the babies,” she remembered. “I felt my world had come tumbling down.”
“From that time on, I lost hope,” she added. She turned to alcohol to dull the pain. Soon, she was selling liquor from her own home, along with her body. “I wanted food for my three young children,” she explained. “Prostitution was inevitable.”
SEEING GOD’S ETERNAL LOVE
Years passed, during which Dembe gave birth to one more child. Though she was concerned for her kids and their exposure to her lifestyle, she couldn’t see a way out. “Two of them have also ended up in a life of prostitution,” she told us. “I have a lot of pain in my heart.”
When Dembe heard about our partner’s year-long rehabilitation program, she felt a glimmer of hope. It was an opportunity to heal from the past and set a new course for the future.
“Walking out of prostitution is one way that I can get the healing I need and maybe also be in a position to help my daughters,” she said.
Every year, prayer and support like yours make it possible for exploited women and their children to begin life anew. They receive safe housing, Biblically based counseling, and job skills training. They also hear the Gospel and experience the love of Jesus Christ. They are empowered to leave prostitution behind.
Among many other life skills, Dembe is learning from our partner how to earn income as a seamstress, study the Bible, and have healthy relationships.
“I feel so at peace, with no worries about everyday life,” she said. “I am positive that Jesus has a good plan for my life, and it has started to unfold.”
“I am positive that Jesus has a good plan for my life.”
Please pray for Dembe and hundreds of other women on a similar journey with our teams and partners. Pray that they would come to know Almighty God, who says, “I have loved you with an everlasting love” (Jeremiah 31:3).
*Name changed for security.
Across the world, every day, Samaritan’s Purse sees families and individuals who are enduring, or who are vulnerable to violence, exploitation, addiction, gangs, and more. From teaching women about safe migration to protecting children from exploitation and helping men free themselves from the bonds of addiction, your generous gifts can help restore their hope and empower individuals and families in Jesus’ Name.