Olivia Sserabira from Uganda has led a storied life that many people cannot even comprehend because of its complexity. Since her last name Sserabira means “don’t forget,” she hasn’t forgotten about leaving an echo of kindness with whomever she meets and helps.

When she was born, her parents did not believe she would live because her previous siblings had not, so they did not baptize her. Seven years later, they did. After Olivia was born, five more children followed: two boys and three girls. After the last girl was born, their mother disappeared.

Soon after, the father remarried, and the stepmother did not like the children and treated them poorly. Her father did not believe their stories about how the stepmother was treating them. Ultimately, she sent them away, and they lived on the streets for a while. Olivia acted as the mother figure and attempted to keep the family together.

“Eventually, the bishop who had officiated at our parents’ wedding intervened, knowing that something was deeply wrong,” Olivia said. “He advised my daddy to put us in a boarding school. We are so grateful our daddy listened and for the bishop for noticing our plight.”

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Olivia adjusted well to the boarding school and joined the Red Club and the African Protection Children Action, two extracurricular activities that helped her escape the misery of home life while finding meaning in helping others.

She ultimately graduated from Nkumba College of Commerce in social sciences and found a job as a secretary and the beginnings of a stable life. She still loved helping people through volunteerism.

“I joined the Red Cross in northern Uganda, and I helped rescue children trapped in the war zones where rebels wreaked havoc,” Oliva said. “Through helping displaced children and transporting them to makeshift camps, I embraced the call to serve others.”

Olivia and her husband were married through an arranged marriage and enjoyed many years together, had four children, three boys and a girl, and adopted a set of 14-year-old twins. When her sister passed away, they also took in her daughter.

When the civil war end in 2002, she returned to be the secretary at the Uganda school and continued her Red Cross volunteer work. After four years of planning, her life’s dream came to fruition when Olivia started The Peace and Hope Training Center.

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“I began to look for orphan children who had fled the war and now were on the streets and carrying deep emotional wounds,” Olivia said. “We tried to find their families or guardians. Their lives were full of tragedy and abuse, and we wanted to help them in some way.”

The Peace and Hope Training Center’s primary objective is to give life skills and opportunities to youth through vocational training and to train women and girls in basic skills that can empower them to be self-reliant in planning to start small enterprises or projects.

The center offers classes in haircare, sewing, tailoring, baking, cooking, wood working, English, soap making and finances.

“We also provide beauty stations, hair dryers, sewing machines, utensils, stoves and supplies for their businesses,” Olivia said. “Plus, we help them find space for their shops. We expect them to grow.”

After the center opened, people began to call her and asked if she could help their families and others. Some children needed a legal guardian, and Olivia worked diligently with government officials to help them obtain appropriate papers so she could have legal guardianship of the children.

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At first, the children did not trust them because of their many hardships and all kinds of abuse. Within two months, the children realized that she could be trusted because she listened to them.

“Gradually, many children opened up, shared their stories, and began heal,” Olivia said. “The first year was so challenging because many of the children had never attended school, and others had dropped out before completing their education. We wanted to ensure that when they left the Center, they were equipped to face the world and possess the tools to become productive members of society.”

In 2013, Olivia’s life tragically changed. Her husband, a lawyer for the police, had a side photography, wedding and corporate planning, and catering business that helped fund the center. While Olivia and her husband were traveling, they stopped at a roadside stand to purchase food. Two men came up to them, shot her husband and ran off.

After her husband died, there was not lot of money going to the school. Olivia was kidnapped by three men, brutally assaulted and left alongside the road to die, but she was rescued by a passerby. She never told anyone about this assault because of shame. Then, three months later, her husband’s relatives came and took everything from her, including the business, the house and her cars. Yet she kept going.

“I had the opportunity to go to the United States on a work visa in 2014,” Olivia said. “It was challenging to leave Uganda, but I knew I had to survive.”

For a short time, Olivia closed the school because of everything that had happened. People soon began to call her and wanted the school to reopen.

“When I closed the school, people cried. They wanted it to be open to help the people and their families,” Olivia said. “I knew this was my calling to help others. These are my people!”

Since 2014, Olivia and her two sons, Joseph and Rodgers, have kept the center going, with Olivia living in Salt Lake City and her two sons living in Uganda.

Rodgers’ involvement became more robust just before the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2018, Rodgers, an IT business owner, took over the center from his brother and continued his mother’s legacy that she began in 2006. When his mother and some of his siblings moved to the United States, Rodgers stayed because he was in the best position to stay.

“My mom changes lives and adds value to everyone she touches,” Rodgers said. “Her teachings about values and the commitment to peace and hope echo through my head and ears. She taught us that if you do one thing, it is take upon yourself peace and hope. These words rejuvenate me and have allowed me to reach many heights and changed my life. I needed to stay and carry on her legacy.”

The Center for Hope Training Center’s success comes from the success of its students. “Over 2,000 people have graduated and now are working,” Olivia said. “Many of them are managing their own businesses in tailoring, hairdressing, woodworking, baking and catering. Some tried and failed but still had the skills and found jobs in other careers. Some even return to enhance their skills.”

One former student, Elizabeth, a mother of two children, washed clothes for money and knew that she was going nowhere. She met people from The Peace and Hope Training Center who gave her a flyer about the center, which changed her life forever.

“I chose hairdressing, and even though I didn’t have money, they provided me with the materials to use. I also developed an interest in tailoring,” Elizabeth said. “Now I do hairdressing in the morning and tailoring in the evening. I also learned discipline, confidence, unity and the belief that I can improve in anything if I put my mind to it, no matter the circumstances. Madam Olivia always taught us to be good examples and to motivate others. Looking back, I see that I am a completely different person from who I was years ago.”

Another former student, Teddy, is married, the mother of four boys, a tailor by profession and now a teacher at the center. She first became acquainted with Peace and Hope when she saw them helping children in Kasubi Munaku, a community in Uganda. Her journey began then and has become the foundation of her life.

“Peace and Hope made a big difference in my life,” Teddy said. “Before, I couldn’t ask for a job because I had no skills or confidence. But through the training, I learned tailoring and knitting sweaters, and that gave me the courage and ability to offer my services. Now, I am confident and skilled. Plus, I learned discipline, honesty and truthfulness.”

Fundraising is always an issue. Olivia donates a monthly amount from her job working for Walmart in the Salt Lake Valley. It doesn’t take care of all the expenses, but it helps. Many of their students and former students who now have their own business make products to sell.

“Our former students make beautiful bags, aprons and other items,” Olivia said. “Many of the bags and aprons are sent here to Utah, and I sell them to generate money for the center.”

The Peace and Hope Training Center’s vision for the future is to create a permanent school with a complete system of qualified teachers, better equipment and a plan for long-term sustainability.

“Our vision includes working with many people around country and even beyond,” Rodgers said. “What we hope for is when our country researches the challenges and needs help, Peace and Hope will be the first ones they ask because of the trust and impact we have established so we can share our culture and voice and create a legacy for peace and hope.”

The Peace and Hope Training Center continues to walk alongside mothers, children, orphans, parents and entire communities — helping them access education, healthcare and empowerment opportunities.

“From schools to villages, our programs are restoring dignity and creating a future where every child can dream and thrive,” Olivia said. “Young people from all backgrounds inspire our mission. They remind us of the broken places in society and challenge us to act with compassion so together we can rebuild lives, strengthen families and transform communities.”

To donate to, contact or find more information about The Peace and Hope Center, send an email to Olivia at sserabiraolivia11@gmail.com, call her at 857-615-2658 (also on WhatsApp) or go to the website peaceandhopeck.com.