Ugandan women are STRONG! I have come to love, respect and build relationships with many Ugandan women, and I have also seen many other women living what is a normal life (to them), but is quite intimidating to me.

Some women will walk miles for water, reasonably priced food and other household needs for their families. Many women who live in the villages work hard all day in the garden/fields, and then return home to their family to do all the cooking, cleaning and caring for their children and husband. Many times they wake up before the sun has risen to do household chores like ironing, cleaning, and getting things ready for the day, before going to work. Even the many women with professional jobs in town still continue to manage the household in ways that astonish me.

You see some Ugandan women tilling up farmland by hand, carrying heavy items on their heads for long distances, selling their produce in the market, hand-washing all the clothes for their family, carrying babies on their backs while they are working, making dinner from scratch for their family, and no matter what, always welcoming guests who may show up for a meal at any time. A friend posted on her Facebook page: “They will rise before dawn and do it all again the next day… and they do not complain. This is their life.” There is nothing unusual about their days, but they are very different from my everyday life and I am humbled by these women. They are strong and they are beautiful and they are God’s children. I am thankful to learn from them and I want to honor them.