Immaculate’s story illustrates how assistance that comes in the form of relief aid can perpetuate a state of dependency and can actually be detrimental to development and a progression toward self-reliance. On the other hand, assistance that comes in the form of empowering another to utilize her own abilities to improve her livelihood can lead to lasting change. It is the difference between offering a handout and offering a hand-up.

One look at a a Ugandan child who is growing up in the midst of a post-conflict zone encountering food insecurity and poor economic infrastructure reveals a surprise. The child herself has eyes for hope! And that is an impossible and beautiful thing worth exploring.

I am trying to remember what it feels like to long for something desperately in these final hours of Advent. And in so doing, I can’t help but think of the women and children of the Acholi region in Uganda.