From a Village Classroom to Family Healing: Hellen’s Journey of Impact

To Kahunde Hellen Ellen, teaching was initially an uncharted territory. Having completed her education at Senior 4, she spent her days running a modest retail shop and selling vegetables to make ends meet. However, her trajectory changed entirely after she attended a specialized training for Community Resource Persons under the CBECCE program. Equipped with practical teaching skills, Hellen returned to her community determined to put her new knowledge into action.
She began traversing nearby villages, actively identifying children who were missing out on an education. Once she mapped out these vulnerable households, she mobilized the children and established a community classroom.
However, Hellen quickly realized that effective teaching extended far beyond the classroom walls. To truly support her students, she needed to understand their home environments. She began requesting home visits to meet with the parents directly. As trust grew, parents began opening up to Hellen about the heavy burdens they carried behind closed doors—including domestic violence, the struggles of single parenting, unaddressed anger issues, and severe financial instability. Many parents confessed they simply lacked the knowledge of positive parenting practices.
Through these authentic interactions, Hellen began sharing vital knowledge with the families. Yet, it was one particular little girl who would test the true depth of Hellen’s intervention.
Uncovering Hidden Trauma
During her lessons, Hellen noticed a troubling pattern: every time class ended and she prepared to leave, one of her young students would burst into tears. When Hellen questioned the mother, the woman evaded the subject, attempting to hide the underlying issue. Sensing a deeper problem, Hellen gently requested to speak with the child privately. Away from her mother, the little girl broke down and confessed, “My mother beats me.”
Hellen approached the situation with immense delicacy, sitting down with the mother to discuss the child’s well-being. As they spoke, the layers of the young mother’s own trauma began to surface. Hellen discovered that the mother was dealing with severe, unresolved anger. She had been impregnated at just 14 years old while in Primary 5, and at only 20 years old, she was navigating the harsh realities of raising a child entirely alone. The father had abandoned them immediately, refusing to offer any form of support.

Every time the little girl asked about her father, it acted as a painful trigger for the young mother. Reminded of her abandonment, she would lash out, beat the child, and harshly claim that her father was dead.
A Path to Healing and Reconciliation
Recognizing the urgent need for mental health support, Hellen reached out to the BIU project team, who successfully connected the young mother with professional counsellors from Fort Health Minds BIU’s Mental Health Partner. The mother willingly engaged in therapy, and a remarkable transformation began to unfold. BIU also engaged the local Community Development Officer (CDO) to provide additional social support.
Through counselling, the mother learned to process her past trauma and finally accepted that her daughter was not to blame for her hardships. Armed with this newfound perspective, she took a brave step forward and told her daughter the truth about her father. Today, communication has been restored; a healthy relationship has been established between the father and the child, and he now offers occasional financial support.
Economic Empowerment and Community Growth
The intervention did not stop at emotional healing. Hellen and the BIU team recognized that the mother’s economic vulnerability was a primary driver of her stress. Initially, the young woman had no steady income, surviving solely on backbreaking contract farming in neighbours’ gardens.
Hellen encouraged her to join a newly formed Village Savings and Loan Association (VSLA) started by the CBECCE parents. The mother took the leap, began saving small amounts, and eventually borrowed a small loan to launch a business selling cassava.

The economic turnaround was profound. Through the profits of her cassava business, she successfully paid the school fees for her child to transition from the CBECCE classes into a top-class primary school.
Ultimately, Hellen’s dedication has radiated throughout the entire community. The parents are thriving, and the VSLA, which began with just 16 members, has blossomed into a robust group of 29 people. What started as Hellen’s simple desire to teach has transformed into a powerful catalyst for family healing and economic resilience.
The profound transformations witnessed in the lives of these families stand as a powerful testament to the enduring impact of community-led interventions. None of these milestones—from restoring a fractured mother-daughter relationship to fostering economic independence through the VSLA—would have been possible without the unwavering support, training, and strategic programming provided by the Bantwana Initiative Uganda. By equipping local educators with the tools to look beyond the classroom and address the root causes of household vulnerability, Bantwana has not only safeguarded the future of early learners in Kyegegwa District but has also laid a resilient foundation for entire communities to heal, grow, and thrive. We extend our deepest gratitude to the Bantwana Initiative Uganda for making this vital work a reality.