From Despair to Redemption: How One Woman’s Broken Life Was Healed by Love

By Harriet Amongi

My name is Harriet Amongi. For a long time, I believed my life was a series of dead ends. I endured poverty, exploitation, heartbreak, and severe mental health struggles. But just when I was ready to give up on life entirely, I found a sanctuary that changed everything. This is my story of survival, resilience, and the miracle of redemption.

A childhood cut short

My struggles began at the tender age of 12 when both of my parents passed away. As the firstborn, the crushing weight of adulthood fell squarely on my shoulders. Alongside my grandfather, who was completely blind, I became the primary caretaker for my younger siblings.

By age 13, I was taken to a school for needy children. It wasn’t a free ride; I had to work heavy chores just to pay my own tuition. I pushed through the exhaustion until Senior Three, when a glimmer of hope appeared: a sponsor offered to fund my education.

But that hope was short-lived. Before signing the papers, he cornered me with a question: “Do you have a boyfriend?”

When I told him no, his true intentions surfaced. He told me that he wanted to be my boyfriend, and if I did not agree, he would withdraw the sponsorship. I refused to be exploited. That was the end of my education, and my dreams were shattered.

Day Maid Night Guard

With no options left in my village, I migrated to the bustling city of Kampala to find a way to feed my family. I took up work as a security guard. I moved from company to company, but the wages were terribly low. I tried to save enough to return to school, but the math never worked.

Desperate to change our fortunes, I came up with a gruelling survival plan:

• Day time: I worked as a housemaid.
• Night time: I worked as a security guard.

I barely slept, but the sacrifice allowed me to pay for my younger brother’s secondary school education. Sadly, despite my sacrifices, my brother chose a dark path. I advised him to join the police force, but he fell into the wrong crowd and joined local gangs instead. My heart broke all over again.

The Shadow Of Mental Illness

As the years slipped away, I realized I was aging and longed for stability. I met a man and moved in with him. However, the years of severe childhood trauma, sleepless nights, and endless stress finally caught up with me. I began suffering from severe mental health challenges.

When my husband discovered my mental illness, his response was cold and immediate. He told me I was incapable of being his wife or the mother of his children, and he abandoned me. At that moment, I was seven months pregnant.

He waited until I gave birth, and then he returned—only to steal my newborn baby from me.

I felt completely empty, as if my life was over. Yet, I couldn’t stop. I still had younger siblings depending on me for food. Sadly, because our life was so unstable, my younger sisters ended up marrying at a very tender age into miserable, impoverished situations just to survive.

Hidden Battle

Eventually, I met another man, the man I am married to today. Terrified of being abandoned again, I kept my mental health struggles a strict secret. We had our first child, and I secretly swallowed my psychiatric medication every day, praying he wouldn’t notice.

The breaking point arrived during my third pregnancy. I suffered a severe, visible mental health attack. The secret was out.

My husband immediately rejected me, shouting, “I can’t stay with such a person!” Every time we had even a minor misunderstanding, he would throw my clothes and belongings outside into the dirt and order me to leave.

“I would just stand there and tell him I had nowhere else to go. I could not leave my children.”

I spent my days crying uncontrollably. The pain became so heavy that I actively wanted to end my own life.

The Turning Point At Acholi Quarter

One Friday, I walked down to Acholi Quarter to buy charcoal, tears streaming down my face. An elderly woman noticed my distress.

“Why are you crying, and yet you are always such a jolly person?” she asked gently.

Through heavy sobs, I poured my heart out. I told her how my husband was chasing me away because of my mental illness, and how I had absolutely nowhere to go. The old lady embraced me tightly.

“Come, my child, let me show you something,” she whispered. She pointed across the road. “Do you see that old building opposite the Adventist church? Go there on Tuesday and Thursday. You will sing, dance, laugh, be happy, and learn how to make beads.”

Friday to Tuesday felt like an eternity. I waited in agony, but when Tuesday finally arrived, I went very early in the morning.

When I walked through the doors, I saw people gathering. Some were sitting in classes, others were crafting beautiful paper beads, and everyone was radiating joy. Someone tapped me on the shoulder, pointed to a woman, and said:

“That is Rose. She is the woman who has given our lives a redemption.”

 Meeting Auntie Rose

I began attending the centre faithfully. Four months later, I was heavily pregnant but still dancing with pure joy during our sessions, completely forgetting the misery waiting for me at home. Rose noticed me.

“How many children are you carrying in that womb?” she asked.

I told her I didn’t know because I couldn’t afford an ultrasound scan. Rose immediately instructed me to go to St. Benedict Clinic for a scan. Then, she sat me down and asked about my life, my children, and where I lived.

For the first time, I shared my entire story with her—including my mental health battles and my husband’s rejection.

Rose looked at me and said words I will never forget: “That is not good, because even mental health patients deserve to have a family. You have value.”

She told me to bring my husband so she could speak with him. When I confessed that we had no food at home, she immediately ordered her staff to buy me supplies of rice, beans, and cooking oil. Even better, she enrolled my children into school, covering their fees entirely. My heart felt instantly lighter. For the first time in my life, I knew someone truly cared for me. The psychological wounds of my past began to fade away.

A Family Restored

Shortly after, Rose had to fly out of the country. Sensing an opportunity, my husband escalated his hostility and finally succeeded in chasing me out of the house. Left with no options and lacking Rose’s phone number, I packed up and retreated to my home village in Lira.

When Rose returned to Uganda and found me missing, she refused to let me go. She tracked my whereabouts, coordinated through different people, and finally got a phone call through to me.

“Bring back my children as soon as possible,” she commanded lovingly. “And tell your husband I want to talk with him together with the children.”

I travelled back from the village, and this time, my husband agreed to meet Rose. Sitting in her office, Rose counselled us as partners. She spoke with such wisdom and grace that my husband’s heart completely melted. He truly understood my condition for the first time.

Turning to me, my husband said, “I used to hear about Rose at my workplace, but thank you, my wife, for bringing me to meet an international counsellor and such a wonderful mother. I think let our lives change.”

Right there in the office, we embraced each other. He promised Rose that he would never hurt, mistreat, or disturb me again.

Today: A Life of Value

Up to this very day, I am living in a deeply healthy marriage and enjoying a beautiful, happy family. Rose continues to encourage me to take my mental health medication regularly without shame.

Whenever I face a hurdle—whether it is financial, medical, or emotional—she is always there to support me. That is the ultimate joy and unmeasurable value that Rose brought into my life. I am no longer a victim; I am a survivor, a mother, a loved wife, and a woman of worth.Thank you Rose.