Rising Above Abandonment: Angel’s Journey of Resilience

My name is Angel Namutebi. I am from the Mamba Clan. I come from Katwe village, Kasambya County, Mubende District. I was abandoned by my husband after giving birth. I remember falling sick after giving birth, and that is when my husband left me. But God gave me grace and I recovered. I later gave birth to a second child.

When I was pregnant, my husband married a second wife. That is when the situation at home started changing. He abandoned me in the house when I was just one month pregnant. I suffered a lot. Worse still, people started mistreating me at my workplace because I had fallen sick. I eventually decided to sell my business because of the way I was being treated.

Later, when his relatives asked him, my husband said that we had done an HIV test, and the results showed that I was HIV positive while he was HIV negative. From then on, his family started hating me. I asked them for help, but they refused. Life became very hard because I had no job, yet I had to pay rent and take care of my children. Fortunately, my landlord understood my situation and did not chase me away.

One day, some employees of an organization came looking for survivors to assist. They found me in a very bad situation. At the time, the only food I would get was from a nearby church. They interviewed me and later took my story to their leader, a woman, who was so touched. She then referred me to ActionAid’s GBV shelter in Mubende.

At the time, Uganda had only about 23 GBV shelters nationwide for a country of 45 million people, this is far below what is needed, leaving many survivors with nowhere to turn. Angel’s access to a shelter was therefore a rare opportunity that most women in her situation are unable to reach safety, especially in rural areas.

When I got there, I met a lady called Rosette. I explained my situation, and she asked how they could help. She asked if they should look for my husband and have him arrested. I told her I was a hardworking woman and instead asked for resources to start a business. I wanted to prove to my husband that I could make it on my own.

Rosette treated me very well. After I told her my story, she sheltered me at the GBV shelter and gave me a start-up kit. One day, she called and asked what I would do if I was given 200,000/=. I told her my budget and explained how I could use it. After some time, I was given the money. It was a very big thing for me.

I was very happy for what they did. I thank ActionAid International Uganda for the help they gave me. May God bless them. Because to a hardworking person with a goal, two hundred thousand shillings is a lot of money. I want my husband to see that there are women who are blessed and hardworking.

I now request ActionAid International to add me more capital. From this business, I am able to raise money for rent, food, and treatment for my children and myself.

Angel’s story is not unique. Across Uganda, more than 1 in 3 women experience physical or sexual violence, and over 50% of GBV cases involve economic abuse or abandonment like what I endured. Regionally, in East Africa, 48% of women experience some form of GBV, yet fewer than 30% of survivors ever access formal support services. Many women suffer in silence because of stigma, distance, or lack of resources.

ActionAid International Uganda, through its shelters, community support, and livelihood programs, helps women like me rebuild our lives. By combining local support with national advocacy for more shelters, better funding, and stronger services, and regional collaboration to strengthen protections across borders, organizations like ActionAid are helping shift power from perpetrators to survivors, giving women the tools to reclaim their dignity and independence.