If you had met Elizabeth on her arrival from South Sudan three years ago, and saw her today, the word ‘transformation’ would come to mind – thanks to MAF partners Khayamandi Foundation Uganda.
Orphaned at 9 years, abducted and forced into marriage at 15, Elizabeth Andrew Gatluak had a troubled childhood.
With pain in her throat and tears rolling down her face, the breaking point came when her husband was murdered in a mass shooting at a market in her hometown of Bentiu. Rebels then raided her home.
“They dragged me and other girls to the bushes, blindfolded and gang-raped me when I was expecting this child,” she said, pointing to her three-year-old son whom she has named UNHCR William.
“I can’t forget the pain I went through, and until now, my left leg hurts deeply. That day I nearly died, but after they left, I crawled back home because I could not walk, even weeks later.”
That brutality was too severe to bear, and so she decided to escape to Uganda in March 2022, where she is currently a refugee.
“One day I just walked to the office of the headteacher at this school, knelt down, told my story and asked for a job,” said Elizabeth. “Even though I was earning little, it helped me take care of my five children.”
Khayamandi Foundation picked up Elizabeth and employed her as a cleaner at their school, New Life Children’s Ministry Centre, so she could fend for her children with whom she had escaped from South Sudan.
According to Khayamandi Foundation’s Managing Director, Herbert Niwahereza, the availability of MAF to fly them to remote places in Uganda can only be equated to ‘life-saving’.
“We consider MAF as life savers because getting to these different remote places with you makes a very big difference,” Herbert said. “Your flexibility is highly commendable, so we thank you.”
An MAF flight from the capital city of Kampala to the foundation’s offices in Arua needs only an hour and twenty minutes, but a road trip takes nearly 12 hours.
A lot has changed in Elizabeth, who now teaches the top class at the school.
“I live a day at a time. I don’t know what the future holds, but I’m grateful for the opportunity that New Life school offered.”
The trauma Elizabeth experienced is not unique to her. It’s the story of nearly all South Sudanese refugee women seeking shelter at Rhino Refugee Camp in Uganda.
For every refugee’s life transformed through help, hope and healing offered by its partners, MAF is encouraged to keep flying and multiplying the effectiveness of those on the ground.
“We are so thankful for the consistency of the MAF flights,” said Chris Willis, a board member at Khayamandi Foundation. “We know that they will get us whenever we need them.”
The foundation has also invested in a water project which has brought water services closer to the refugee community. Initially, refugees had to walk for forty-five minutes to find water.
STORY & PHOTOS / DAMALIE HIRWA