They were just teenagers when their lives changed forever. What should have been years of innocence and discovery became a battle for survival—physically, emotionally, and socially.
Angella Asiimwe, Sandra Musimenta, and Annabelle Nakabiri are three remarkable women whose lives were once marked by sexual abuse and teenage pregnancy. The statistics could have swallowed their names, reducing them to numbers in a heartbreaking report. But instead, they rose from the ashes to prove that pain does not have to be the end of the story-it can be the start of a movement of teenage mothers that can achieve their fullest potential against all odds.
A Shared Pain, A Different Journey
Each woman’s journey is unique, but all three faced the same cruel reality- being young mothers in a society that too often shames instead of supports. Their nights were long, filled with questions no one their age should have to answer. Their days were filled with judgmental stares and whispered words. But somewhere along the way, each of them made a choice: they would not be defined by what happened to them, but by what they would do next.
The Rise of Voices
Today, they are leaders, advocates, and builders of hope.
• Angella is now a Hearts of Gold Ambassador under The Remnant Generation and continues to support even bring her friends and family to support TRG family. She also runs a legal and media Firm Voice Consults as CEO where they amplify voices of marginalised groups like survivors of sexual harrasment & she works with several women rights organizations to create safe spaces for girls who have nowhere else to turn. Through the Ug Love Movement where she is the Team Leader, she has partnered with The Remnant Generation (TRG) on several occasion like most recently in Busega and Luuka—equipping teenage mothers with sexual and reproductive health education to end period poverty, building self-confidence, leadership, and human rights knowledge, and in Luuka providing vocational skills in hairdressing and sanitary pad production with start-up kits.
• Sandra runs mentorship programs that offer life skills, emotional healing, and spiritual guidance to teenage mothers.
She also recently launched a project dubbed “Teen-Tales” that helps bridge the communication gap between Parents raising teenagers.
• Annabelle, as founder and Executive Director of TRG, has built a haven for survivors through the 3RT Model—Rescue, Restore, Repurpose, Thrive—offering holistic, faith-informed care to young mothers and their babies in resource-constrained settings.
Together, they have become a powerful trio—a voice of hope, resilience, and possibility for young mothers across Uganda. Their combined efforts have seen girls return to school, families restored, and countless young mothers finding the courage to dream again.
Changing the Narrative
In a society where sexual abuse and teenage pregnancy are often spoken of in hushed tones, these women speak boldly. They believe silence only protects the abuser, never the abused. Through community dialogues, public speaking, and mentorship, they are dismantling the stigma surrounding young mothers.
Their message is simple but powerful: Your past is not your prison. You are more than what happened to you.
A Decade of Impact
This month, TRG marks 10 years of transforming lives with the unveiling of groundbreaking research on the 3RT Model in collaboration with the AfriChild Centre. The celebration is not just about the past decade—it is a call to action for more partners, more hands, and more hearts to join in giving teenage mothers and their babies a future of dignity and opportunity.
A Call to Action
Angella, Sandra, and Annabelle are proof that when women heal, communities heal. Their work calls on society to stop pointing fingers at victims and instead create systems of support, protection, and restoration. They urge policymakers, religious leaders, and everyday citizens to see teenage mothers not as lost causes, but as leaders in the making.
The Future They See
When asked what they hope for the next generation, they all speak with the same conviction:
A future where no girl suffers in silence. A future where teenage mothers are given the tools to thrive, not just survive and thrive. A future where their stories are no longer ones of shame, but of strength.
These women have turned their pain into purpose, their scars into stories, and their voices into instruments of change. And if you listen closely, you’ll hear what they’ve been saying all along: hope is alive—and it’s louder than ever.
