Palma’s Story

Palma lives with her mother Joan in Kakira District. She had once lived with both her mother and father, however after completing his education, her father Emmanuel was not able to find employment. Life was hard for the small family and sadly her father turned to alcohol and became angry and abusive toward both Palma and her mother Joan. When Palma was 2 years old her mother packed up and fled- as the father’s abusive behavior began tending toward violence and she feared for their lives. For a short time, Palma’s mother Joan was able to obtain employment at a local primary school. Unfortunately, she was laid off due to financial difficulties at the institution. Joan and Palma began bouncing around from house to house of willing relatives looking for refuge when they could not pay their rent. Sadly, while in one of the temporary housing situations, Palma was raped by an elder cousin.  Palma, her younger sister and her mother now live in their own home and her mother has been able to provide an income by temporary work as a secretary. PFP will step in to provide educational and medical support for Palma and will provide counseling services for both Palma and her mother. Our goal is to help them both to overcome their extremely difficult past and to make the most out their lives.