Mbambu Tumusime Debora,

I am the founder the Debora Foundation for Women Empowerment. I grew up in a vibrant family of eight children in Kasese District. Our home was always filled with laughter, activity, and shared responsibilities. When my father’s brother passed away, he left behind six orphaned children who joined our household, growing our family overnight to fourteen. We learned to stretch limited resources, share everything, and support one another through hardship. Among those children was my cousin sister, Hester—quiet, bright, and full of dreams. At just fifteen, her life changed dramatically when she became pregnant. I watched her face immense struggles that no young girl should endure: Emotionally, she battled loneliness, fear, and despair. Socially, she faced harsh judgment, stigma, and isolation from her community. Financially, she had no resources of her own. As a family, we felt the weight too—the societal shame, the added pressure, and the challenge of supporting a teenage mother who was still a child herself. Many young fathers walked away, leaving girls to carry the burden alone. Hester’s pain opened my eyes to the silent crises faced by countless adolescent girls in our communities. It revealed how unprepared and unsupported teenage mothers often are, and how easily society marginalizes them. That experience planted a seed in my heart. Years later, during a leadership training program with Meta Youth through SOME UK, I was given the opportunity to lead a community project. I chose to support pregnant teenagers and young mothers—the very girls who needed someone to hold their hand and remind them that their future was still worth fighting for. That project became the beginning of the Debora Foundation for Women Empowerment. We started small, providing essential childbirth materials because many girls entered labor with nothing prepared. Over time, we expanded to offer vocational skills and tools for economic independence, ensuring these young women would never again depend on those who abandoned them. Today, we continue to grow, with a vision to fully support their children through formal education and holistic opportunities. The Debora Foundation is more than an organization—it is a personal promise born from Hester’s story. Her struggle became my inspiration. Her tears became my mission. And her journey became the spark of hope for hundreds of young mothers, children, and families across Kasese District.