The Lela Initiative is a not-for-profit organisation supporting underprivileged communities on the Ssese Islands in Uganda.
Our vision is to bring joy, hope and empowerment through free access to books and community education opportunities.
Based out of Kalangala, our local Ugandan team knows what their community needs most. To date, this has included:
Transforming a shell of a building into a community library
Filling the library with educational textbooks to support local school children
Providing story time opportunities for a local preschool
Running a drop-in session, in conjunction with the health team, for parents and children
Facilitating a monthly women’s health session
Hosting sexual education courses
Our UK team raises the profile of the organisation by publishing books in the UK and through our Twinning project.
Contact
Please get in touch if you would like to know more about what we do and how to support our work.
by Lela Burbridge
You could choose to live with despair. Or you could choose hope...
Growing up in Uganda, a land of fertile soils and warm sunshine should have been a dream for Lela. But wickedness, disease, and poverty tried to destroy, her spirit. Suffering robbed her of a childhood, but it could not take her faith. And sometimes, faith is all you need to stay alive.
ASHES OF CHILDHOOD is a memoir written by LELA BURBRIDGE based on her childhood. A skillfully woven personal narrative offering a powerful insight into the impact of poverty and the aftermath of HIV/AIDS on the young generation of Africa. Through Lela's eyes, we see the horrifying realities of rejection, rape, disease, violence, and jealousy. But amidst the darkness and despair, there is also underlying resilience powered by Lela's inner strength and determination to survive.
This is a story of hope and courage in the face of unimaginable adversity.