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We started with a question we couldn't ignore.
What happens to a woman’s potential when the world keeps saying no? Desdai Women’s Hope exists to make the answer different.
Our story
Across Yumbe District and the Bidibidi refugee settlement, we watched the same story repeat: capable, determined women — school dropouts, teenage mothers, widows, women with disabilities, survivors of gender-based violence, refugees and host-community neighbors alike — locked out of the vocational skills, financial literacy, and sustainable livelihoods that could change everything for them and their children. Not for lack of will. For lack of a door being opened.
Desdai Women’s Hope was founded in 2026 by individuals who decided to stop watching and start building. We registered as a Company Limited by Guarantee with the Uganda Registration Services Bureau on March 3, 2026, and set to work designing an organization built to last: clear governance, real financial accountability, and programs shaped with the women we serve — not for them.
We are still early. Our Board is in place. Our structure is built. Our first partnerships with local leaders, women’s groups, and district authorities are underway. What comes next depends, in real part, on the people who join us now.
“Women’s economic empowerment is essential for breaking intergenerational poverty and building resilient, prosperous communities.”
Vision & Mission
Vision: Empowered women and girls, transformed communities, and a sustainable future.
Mission: To empower marginalized women and girls through inclusive, sustainable, and transformative programs that enhance skills, expand economic opportunities, strengthen resilience, and promote social inclusion.
- About us
We started with a question we couldn't ignore.
What happens to a woman’s potential when the world keeps saying no? Desdai Women’s Hope exists to make the answer different.
Our story
Across Yumbe District and the Bidibidi refugee settlement, we watched the same story repeat: capable, determined women — school dropouts, teenage mothers, widows, women with disabilities, survivors of gender-based violence, refugees and host-community neighbors alike — locked out of the vocational skills, financial literacy, and sustainable livelihoods that could change everything for them and their children. Not for lack of will. For lack of a door being opened.
Desdai Women’s Hope was founded in 2026 by individuals who decided to stop watching and start building. We registered as a Company Limited by Guarantee with the Uganda Registration Services Bureau on March 3, 2026, and set to work designing an organization built to last: clear governance, real financial accountability, and programs shaped with the women we serve — not for them.
We are still early. Our Board is in place. Our structure is built. Our first partnerships with local leaders, women’s groups, and district authorities are underway. What comes next depends, in real part, on the people who join us now.
“Women’s economic empowerment is essential for breaking intergenerational poverty and building resilient, prosperous communities.”
Vision & Mission
Vision: Empowered women and girls, transformed communities, and a sustainable future.
Mission: To empower marginalized women and girls through inclusive, sustainable, and transformative programs that enhance skills, expand economic opportunities, strengthen resilience, and promote social inclusion.
Core Values
What guides every decision we make
● Integrity — honest, ethical, accountable in everything we do
● Transparency — open with the women we serve, our partners, and the public
● Equality — every woman served equally, regardless of background or circumstance
● Compassion — we see the whole person, not just the challenge
● Impartiality — refugee and host-community women, equal commitment
How We Work (Programming Principles)
- Participatory — Women and girls help design the programs that affect their lives.
- Holistic — We address economic, social, and educational needs together, not in isolation.
- Asset-based — We build on the strength and resilience already present in every woman and every community.
- Trauma-informed — Every program is designed with sensitivity to the trauma many of the women we serve have experienced.
- Partnership-driven — We multiply our impact through government, civil society, and private-sector collaboration.
- Evidence-based — Monitoring and evaluation shape how our programs grow and improve.
- Gender-transformative — We actively challenge harmful gender norms and build women’s leadership and agency.
OUR ORGANIZATION STRUCTURE
Governance
Desdai Women’s Hope operates under a clear separation of governance and management. Our General Assembly — all Founding and Full Members — is the supreme governing body, electing the Board and approving major decisions. Our Board of Directors, serving entirely on a voluntary, unpaid basis, sets strategic direction and policy. Our Secretariat, led by the Executive Director, runs day-to-day operations and answers directly to the Board.
Trust & governance
Every payment we make requires two signatories. Our accounts are reviewed annually by independent auditors. Our Board serves entirely on a voluntary basis. Transparency isn’t a slogan here — it’s built into our constitution.
OUR ORGANIZATION STRUCTURE
Governance
Desdai Women’s Hope operates under a clear separation of governance and management. Our General Assembly — all Founding and Full Members — is the supreme governing body, electing the Board and approving major decisions. Our Board of Directors, serving entirely on a voluntary, unpaid basis, sets strategic direction and policy. Our Secretariat, led by the Executive Director, runs day-to-day operations and answers directly to the Board.
Trust & governance
Every payment we make requires two signatories. Our accounts are reviewed annually by independent auditors. Our Board serves entirely on a voluntary basis. Transparency isn’t a slogan here — it’s built into our constitution.
Leadership
Dawa Reida - Executive Director
I am a Project Manager, Mental Health Support Worker, and community leader passionate about empowering vulnerable populations, particularly refugees, asylum seekers, displaced persons, women, and girls.
Leadership
Dawa Reida