My husband went missing presumed murdered in the atrocities; like everyone, the war has taken its toll on me and my family. This is a region of chronic poverty; women are supporting anything from seven to twenty people, their own family plus orphans of the war. So I determined to salvage a future for families left destitute and youngsters who have lost their childhood.
As a child I had always loved watching my father at his beekeeping and he let me have my own hive. This gave me the inspiration to form a cooperative of women beekeepers - apiarists in Uganda are traditionally men. I realised that honey and its by products could provide an income for us.
My work takes me around the camps and villages, supporting and training women, who work in groups of three or four producing the multi floral honey - it's a delicious Savannah brand, with palm, pine and fruit trees all providing excellent foraging for the bees. We are also busy reforesting areas that have been devestated by the conflict and the vast movement of people.
The challenge is to raise money so that the Association can spread from Kitgum throughout the Acholi region to neighbouring Amuru, Gulu and Pader. There is very little infrastructure here, which means vital machinery is hard to find.
Now we have Cord as our partners, we aim to expand to 6000 beekeepers, working 1800 hives, benefiting 6000 households- that's some 36,000 people offered the chance of a better life, all thanks to the honey bees.
It is very rewarding to see how such a simple business can grow from nothing, and how we women of Africa can hold the key to a better future. We thank God for what we are achieving. We have won prizes for our honey-it really is delicious!
